Rich and Velvety Custard Pie - F-N

Food Network - 2003 1st Place Custard Recipe courtesy Phyllis Bartholomew

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• CRUST

• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  cup cake flour
• 1  cup solid shortening (recommend Crisco)
• 2  tablespoons  powdered  butter flavoring
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  egg
• 1  tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1⁄3 cup  ice water
• 1  egg white

• FILLING

• 3  eggs
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2  cups  whole milk
• 1  cup half-and-half
• 1  tablespoon real vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  fresh grated nutmeg

Directions

1. Oven 350ºF.
2. CRUST:
3. Mix all the dry ingredients together and cut in the shortening to resemble course crumbs.
4. Beat the remaining ingredients, except the egg white, together and add to flour.
5. Stir only to incorporate.
6. Wrap in plastic and chill for several hours.
7. Roll out and line pie dish.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.
9. Brush with an egg white and bake an additional 5 minutes.
10. FILLING:.
11. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
12. Scald the milk and half-and-half.
13. Mix together the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Add the hot milk.
14. Very carefully pour through a fine strainer and into the pie shell.
15. Grate nutmeg over the top of the filling.
16. Bake for 10 minutes on the bottom rack and then move to the middle rack and REDUCE the heat to 325ºF.
17. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean or until the middle of the pie is almost set.
18. It will continue to cook after it is taken out of the oven. Cool on a rack.