Salty Honey Pie

"This recipe comes from Four & Twenty Blackbirds, a bakery in Brooklyn NY. It is a type of chess pie with honey added to the custard and topped with sea salt. You need the large, fine sea salt flakes for the topping for this recipe - Maldon works well here. The recipe calls for 1 to 2 tablespoons of sea salt to finish, but I find that one tablespoon is enough salt for my taste. Adjust accordingly to suit your preference for salt. I made this for our 4th of July cookout, and it was a big hit. The crust recipe calls for "ice water/ cider vinegar mixture" - I give the "recipe" for this in the instructions below. If you cannot find vanilla paste, you can use 1 teaspoon of vanilla. The "prep time" listed below includes the time needed to make, rest, and bake the pie crust. If you choose to use a store-bought pie crust this pie comes together very quickly, and the prep time is only about 5 minutes."
 
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Ready In:
3hrs
Ingredients:
15
Serves:
8
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ingredients

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directions

  • TO MAKE THE CRUST:

  • Combine 1 cup cold water, 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar, and 1/4 cup ice, mix well. Set aside.
  • Whisk the dry ingredients together. Using a pastry cutter, blend in the butter, being careful not to overwork during this step. The butter should be in pea-sized chunks - not too big, but not completely incorporated.
  • Slowly add the ice water and vinegar mixture, one tablespoon at a time, and bring the dough completely together by hand, again being careful not to overwork. you may only need 4 tablespoons of the ice water/vinegar mixture - add another tablespoon if the mixture is still too dry to bring the dough together. Aim to create a marbleized effect, so that the butter is still visible. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour or more before use.
  • Pre-bake the crust: Roll the dough out to fit a 9-inch pie pan, about 1/4 inch thick. Place in a buttered pie pan, and crimp the edges as desired. Allow to rest and cool in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
  • Line the crust with tinfoil or unwaxed parchment paper, add pie weights or about a cup of dried beans if you don't have pie weights. Distribute them evenly.
  • Bake in a 375º oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before filling with custard.
  • TO MAKE THE PIE:

  • Melt butter and combine with the sugar, salt, and cornmeal to make a thick paste.
  • Add the honey, vanilla paste, and vinegar and mix together.
  • Mix in the beaten eggs and the cream until all ingredients are well combined.
  • Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie shell and bake at 350º for 45 to 60 minutes. The filling will puff up like a marshmallow and the center will be just slightly wobbly.
  • Once cooled (at least one hour), finish with a sprinkling of flake sea salt.
  • Slice and serve with whipped cream.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>I'm originally from Atlanta, GA, but I now live in Brooklyn, NY with my husband, cat, and dog. I'm a film and video editor, but cooking is my main hobby - if you can call something you do multiple times a day a hobby. <br />I enjoy all types of food, from molecular gastronomy to 70's suburban Mom type stuff. While I like to make recipes from cookbooks by true chefs, I don't turn my nose up at Campbell's Cream of Mushroom - I'm not a food snob. <br /> I love foods from all nations/cultures, and I am fortunate enough to live in NYC so I can go to restaurants which serve food from pretty much anywhere on the globe. Because of this most of my recipes tend to be in the Western European/American food tradition - I find it easier to pay the experts for more complicated delicacies such as Dosai, Pho &amp; Injera. I really enjoy having so many great food resources available to me here in NYC. One of my favorite stores is Kalustyan's http://www.kalustyans.com/ <br />they have every spice, bean, &amp; grain in the world. If there's something you can't find, look on their website. I bet they'll have it and they can ship it to you! <br />Many of my recipes are Southern, because that's the food I grew up on. I hope the recipes I have posted here will be useful to folks out in the 'zaar universe! <br /> <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/Adopted1smp.jpg border=0 alt=Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket /> <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/smPACp.jpg border=0 alt=Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket /> <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PACfall08partic.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /> <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/IWasAdoptedfall08.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /> <br /><img src=http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e110/flower753/Food/my3chefsnov2008.jpg alt= /></p>
 
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