Monday Night Dinner

Dinner October 29th – Birthday Season Part III
Buttermilk Roasted Chicken
Corn Pudding
Green Beans
Fall Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Nutmeg Maple Cream Pie

Buttermilk Roasted Chicken

Recipe previously given:  Cooking the Book, or Not

Corn Pudding

Recipe previously given: Corn Pudding and Other Gateway Drugs

Fall Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette recipe previously given:  The Third Thing

Nutmeg Maple Cream Pie
(makes a 9” or 10” tart)

This is, in the fussy language of food magazines, nutmeg-forward.  It basically tastes like eggnog in pie form.  This is not a bad thing, but I perhaps wouldn’t recommend it for people who loathe nutmeg.  I’m not trying to say that the nutmeg is overwhelming – I was worried it was going to be a little harsh, but the copious amounts of heavy cream and maple syrup smooth out the rough edges that nutmeg sometimes has – but you do have to like the flavor of nutmeg to really appreciate this pie.

Sweet Tart Shell
I have terminally bad luck attempting to blind bake pie shells.  No matter what I do, or what recipe I use, they always seem to crack across the bottom, which is unhelpful if you’re then going to attempt to fill your pie shell with any kind of liquid filling.  This however, while it cracked minutely on the bottom, was the most successful pie shell I’ve ever had the pleasure of blind baking.  Also, it won my approval by not requiring me to roll it out, which is the other thing I hate about pie dough (although if you want to that is an option).

1 ½ cups flour
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ tsp salt
9 Tbsp very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg

Sift/whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.  Cut in the butter until the dough is shaggy – some pieces should be oatmeal flake sized, some should be the size of small peas.  Stir in the egg until the mixture starts to clump.  Knead a few times to bring the dough together.

If you want to roll out the pie dough, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours before rolling to fit your pie shell.

Alternatively, butter a 9” or 10” tart pan with a removeable bottom and press the dough into an even layer across the bottom and up the sides of the pan.  Pierce the crust all over with a fork.

Freeze the crust for at least 45 minutes, preferably longer (I froze mine overnight).

Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil buttered side dough tightly against the frozen crust.  Bake in a 375 oven for 20-25 minutes.  Carefully remove the foil, and bake the crust for about another 5 minutes, or until lightly golden.  Allow to cool before filling.

Nutmeg Maple Cream Filling
¾ cup maple syrup
2 ¼ cups heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce maple syrup by a quarter, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream mixture to eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup or bowl with pouring spout. Stir in salt, nutmeg and vanilla.

Pour filling into cooled crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pie is firm to touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Serve with a little fresh fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar.