Egg Pie

One of the few Filipino baked goods that was unappealing to me and therefore never had before is egg pie. The custard dessert I remember had very thick nuclear yellow filling and it smelled eggy too. I don't know what came over me today but I suddenly wanted to try a friend's recipe that has only 3 eggs and no cornstarch or flour as thickener. And I'm glad I did bake it. The pie with its light creamy custard filling and my homemade buttery flaky crust is heavenly delicious but oh so rich. The filling has half a cup of butter in it! It is rather an indulgent dessert but I love it specially the subtle flavor combination of vanilla and lemon extracts and the dark brown crust on the custard gives a nice color contrast to the pale yellow filling beneath. This is great stuff.

Filipino Egg Pie

buttery flaky pie crust
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup very cold diced unsalted butter
½ cup ice water with a few ice cubes

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. With fingertips and working quickly, rub the butter into the flour. Sprinkle ¼ cup water, adding more if needed, ½ tablespoon at a time, and stir with a fork until the dough comes together and gathers into a ball. Flatten the dough, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 h0urs. Roll to fit into a 9 or 10-inch pie plate. Trim and crimp the edges using the back of a table knife. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

custard filling
3 whole eggs
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
12 ounces whole milk, scalded and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, butter, and sugar until fluffy. On low speed, beat in the rest of the ingredients until fully incorporated. Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator, pour the filling in, bake on the lower third shelf of the oven for 1 hour or until crust is golden in color. Cool on a rack for 3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.