A recipe from The Bitten Word
Egg Custard Pie was a staple at my family gatherings growing up. Regardless of the occasion, be it Thanksgiving or lunch after church, in a time of celebration or sorrow, Egg Custard Pie was present. And it was always made by my grandfather, Tot.
Tot is an unusual name. And it's even more unusual when you learn that it's his full first name -- It's not short for anything, and he has no middle name. Even more odd, Tot is a twin. The name my great-grandparents chose for my great-uncle? Dot.
All you need to make Tot's Egg Custard Pie are eggs, sugar, nutmeg, cornstarch and whole milk. Tot's notes for the recipe say to use "sweet milk," by which he means non-buttermilk. And he never bothers with a homemade pie crust -- he's perfectly content with a store-bought shell.
The pie itself is a cinch to make. Whisk the filling together, pour them into a pie shell, and bake until the pie is set. Serve the pie at room temperature after it's had time to cool. The pie, sweet and scented with nutmeg, is light in texture, rather like a cross between a cream pie and a flan. The texture of a Egg Custard Pie might not be for everyone, but we love it.
Decades later, Tot is still making this pie. We hope to be making it for just as long.
-- Clay
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Tot's Egg Custard Pie
A recipe from The Bitten Word via The Washington Post
Nutritional Information available via The Washington Post
This is a family recipe, a favorite of Clay Dunn's grandfather, Tot. He never makes it with a homemade pie crust; he always uses a store-bought shell.
Makes one 9-inch pie (10 to 12 servings)
Ingredients
3 large eggs, beaten1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cups whole milk
One 9-inch deep-dish prepared pie shell (store-bought or homemade)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk the eggs, sugar, nutmeg, cornstarch and milk together in a medium bowl until combined. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 45 minutes, until the pie is set; a knife inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the pie cool to room temperature before serving.
