Nutmeg Maple-Cream Pie

By DreiFromBK

Ingredients

• Nutmeg-Maple Cream Pie
• Adapted from the New York Times
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 9-inch pie crust or tart shell.

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from smittenkitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Par-bake pie crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pie refrigerated pie shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until beginning to set. Remove foil with weights and bake 15 to 18 minutes longer or until golden. If shell puffs during baking, press it down with back of spoon. Cool on wire rack. Lower temperature to 300 degrees.

2. Prepare filling: 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.

3. 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.

4. Pour filling into 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.

OH.MY.GOSH. That looks so good. I was just thinking of how to incorporate maple into Thanksgiving this year. My last attempt (not bad, not great) was to add maple syrup to whipped cream as a topping to Pecan Pie. I like this better.

I have a question about the vodka pie crust recipe, would it be disgusting to use a flavoured vodka? Like vanilla or something to add to the flavour of the pie?

…And I think I’ve found the dessert I’ll make for Thanksgiving this year.

Deb – I stumbled across your website recently and have been a regular visitor ever since. You never fail to make my mouth water. I’ve been looking for a new pie/tart recipe to try out for Thanksgiving and I think this one will definitely fit the bill. One question though – how the heck did you get it out of the tart pan in one piece?

Oh man, another dessert I must try. I guess there will be three desserts at the table this Thursday. I have to make a traditional pumpkin pie for the kid, then my favorite paradise pumpkin pie, which is a two layer pumpkin and cheesecake pie. And now this one. It’s a good thing I’m sharing pies or I’d really be in trouble.

*Raises hand* Yes! I adore maple syrup and always keep a bottle in my fridge along with a nutmeg for grating. Now I just wish I had a fluted pie pan as pretty as yours (mine are flat-rimmed, culled from garage sales and family attics). Then, and only then, could I make something so gorgeous. (Though I reckon flat or fluted, the flavor is just the same.) Thanks for the Thanksgiving dessert inspiration!

Oh boy, that pie looks heavenly! What a refreshing change from pumpkin. I’m definitely going to throw the family a curve ball this year and make this one.

So for those of us slightly slow on the uptake- the pie recipe you posted makes two tart shells? And the filling filled two tart pans? is this correct? I have been DYING to use my new tart pan. Just trying to figure out if i will have extra of either crust or filling or if I try to do this recipe as a tart x 2. thanks!

Thank you! I am the “pie-girl” in our family, and I’ve been struggling to think of something interesting to make this year for the holidays. This is the perfect homage to a much beloved local product! (I’m from New Hampshire where the maple syrup flows like water!)

Me too, me too, I’m a maple syrup fan and so is my dad, so I know what I’ll be adding to the pie list for Wednesday’s baking extravaganza.

I made this last year too and it will be a welcome repeat this year. It’s a perfectly balanced pie– not “too” anything; just right. Except for the amount of filling. It isn’t that your tart pan is too small; this recipe makes too much filling for a 9″ standard pie pan as well. Not that I’m complaining– in little custard cups, baked in a water bath, the leftover hardly goes to waste. However this year, I’m going to try a 10 1/2″-11″ tart pan (not hard to find if you don’t have one). That should hold it all. And usually a good crust recipe for a 9″ standard pie will be enough for that size tart with maybe a little dough left over to stamp our a few maple leaf “cookies” for decorating the top. And if I’m wrong, well, those little custards are awfully good….

I love using different sweeteners….. YUM! So many underrated flavors to use. I gotta be honest, I don’t know when I’ll get to this one. The good news is that I just subscribed to your blog so I could keep the recipes I intent to make in my inbox. That and the fact that I just got nutmeg and love to use my microplane. I love simple recipes that are freakishly good. This looks like a contender! OOOOO, I know this is a day too late but I am getting a pastry blender. So excited…cause, you know, I need more kitchen gadgets….. *sigh* Hopefully, the hubby won’t notice that I keep accumulating kitchen stuff…..

This looks absolutely perfect for the close of a heavy meal – and it’s that cup of espresso that really caught my attention -a nice rich coffee to pair with the delicate maple flavor, nothing to overwhelming or creamy… and I think the thin tart probably is a better vehicle than a deep pie- but I think I’ll keep the crust recipe the same and just make two, since they’ll go fast!

OMG, I am going to try this Today! I LOVE maple syrup. I normally use it to make a mean pecan pie, but this sounds so much better. I have everything I need to make it. I’ll report back later with how it came out.

I had extra filling because I used a 9″ tart pan instead of a 9.5″, so I chilled it in the freezer for a bit and then poured it over pumpkin ice cream. YUM.

I absolutely love Maple Syrup – awesome pics too! Is there a way I can replace the egg in this recipe?

Akay — I have not practiced egg replacements, so I can’t give you much advice. However, my instinct tells me that it might be difficult as the custard is structured by the egg and yolks–that’s what makes it firm in the oven. Without it, you’d need a new stabilizer…

I cannot wait to try this recipe! I live in Québec so I can get maple syrup pretty much any time and I use it in like, everything! Have you tried it in coffee instead of sugar? Such a treat. Thanks for posting this recipe, again, I can’t wait to make it.

Hi Deb. Thanks for the answer. With the pie (I also filled 2 little ramekins), the very outer edge, next to the crust was ok, but the middle seemed a like pudding, same with the ramekins. Now, because I live in Australia, I’m thinking that all the metric conversions messed me up. It took forever to figure out how much butter to use for the crust, I finally ended up stuffing it into a tablespoon measure, it was quite a mess. Then even that didn’t turn out light and fluffy like yours appeared. I wonder if I need to increase the heat and cover it with foil next time. Sheesh I wish I had paid attention in math class when they were teaching the metric system!

definitely making this tart for thursday. any ideas on a fruit-based sorbet or maybe a sauce to drizzle along the side? i definitely don’t want to take too much attention away from the maple falvor, but maybe add a little freshness to cut the ruch custard. maybe cranberry or pear?

A beautiful–and mouth-watering–pie. I especially like the addition of nutmeg.

I really love your writing and the photos. Not sure I could be tempted to make this particular pie though as I am not a maple syrup lover. But, I have enjoyed some of the other recipes on your site. Thanks! Happy thanksgiving!

All that to say, for the bake sale yesterday (Tuesday), I make the nutmeg maple cream pie. It was a fabulous hit! Several people came to me afterward, asking for the recipe. So, of course, I directed them to your site.

I have this baking in the oven right now. If it tastes half as god as it smells, I’ve just made an addition to my regular desserts

I’m not much of a baker because (gasp) I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I make probably one or two cakes a year and my husband loves oatmeal cookies, so I make those. I love to cook, though, and always put together the whole Thanksgiving spread, but end up buying pies or having other people bring them. This year, this recipe inspired me to make my VERY FIRST PIE (or in this case, first tart) … which meant that I also made my VERY FIRST PIE CRUST. I used my Kitchen Aid (poor thing, doesn’t get too much use) and I have to say that while this was probably the most time-consuming thing I’ve ever made due to my need to read and then reread to ensure I followed the steps correctly … IT WAS DIVINE and AMAZING and DECADENT. I am so very proud of my first tart/pie!!! Thanks so much for all the wonderful photos and detailed directions – they helped me enormously!

Just a follow-up and a short cut. An 11″ tart pan does not hold all the filling either, and it doesn’t leave enough to make the little “bonus” custards one can get if using a 9-9 1/2″ pie/tart pan. It does make elegantly “slim” tart slices if one wants something a little lighter (and needs a couple more slices than a 9″ pie might give). To the cook whose pre-baked pie shell collapsed: I never have any luck with pre-baking (shell filled with beans even!) unless the crust is frozen (at least 20 minutes to days) prior to baking. Works every time that way. The short cut: I found myself with only 1/2c of maple syrup in the house on Thanksgiving morning. So I skipped the reduction step, just combining the 1/2c syrup with the cream for the simmer. I detected no loss of maple flavor or change in texture.

I made this for after Christmas dinner and it was a huge hit with my family. It may come to replace the pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving next year too!

I just made this last weekend for dessert when a friend came over for dinner. It’s absolutely, unbelievably, incredibly, fantastically, amazing. I absolutely love this recipe. The fact that it tastes like you slaved all day over it but didn’t doesn’t hurt either. The filling would make an amazing ice cream. Hmmm… since it’s essentially a custard I wonder if it couldn’t be turned in to a an ice cream recipe.

I’ve had this pie bookmarked for like a year, and have been drooling to try it… I’ve decided to finally make it this week for Thanksgiving and I can’t wait! However, I was wondering – do you think a graham cracker crumb crust would work instead of the traditional pie dough? I never seem to be able to get pie crusts right, and I’m kind of lazy too (haha) and can always get crumb crusts to be perfect in 5 minutes flat. What do you think? Anybody else try this?

Hi Deb! Could the Nutmeg-Maple Cream Pie be made two days ahead? I’m trying to schedule all of my Thanksgiving prep-work and will be traveling on Wednesday. I was hoping to make this Tuesday night for Thursday night’s dinner. Will this work? Will this need to be refrigerated because of the custard?

This was a delicious addition to Thanksgiving for a nutmeg, custard, and maple-loving family! I plan to make it again for Christmas. I used grade B syrup, fresh grated nutmeg, and the CI vodka crust. It was browner in appearance than the pictures, rather caramelized in appearance, which was actually perfect for Thanksgiving. I preferred it cold rather than room temperature, so I suggest people roll the crust thin so it will cook through very thoroughly and won’t be doughy after refrigeration. The next time I make it, I will watch it more closely, because the bottom crust flaked into layers while cooking and made a steam bubble between two layers. As a result, when the pie cooled and the steam escaped, one area sank low. If I had watched it more closely, maybe I could have hit the bubble with a skewer before the custard set around it.

After at least a year of dreaming of this pie, I finally had an opportunity to make it – for my office’s annual Pi/e Day competition! Of course we actually celebrated Pi/e Day (observed) since 3.14 fell over a weekend – but it was a giant hit. I made the full deal and baked it for 70 minutes – the top got a little toasty, but it didn’t seem set after an hour. I’ll definitely be making it again, and probably in my sweet little tart pans that I never seem to have an excuse to use.

Love your website, and have had many great results but this recipe was a bit of a disappointment. Your shrinkable crust shrank, and was very very oily! when I took my first excited bite I realized it tasted like something extremely familiar…FRENCH TOAST! Something I am extremely fond of, but if its French toast I love, I rather make the simple version! (and less caloric). Nonetheless, I absolutely love your website and recipes, I felt it was important to give you honest feedback. And also, CONGRADULATIONS on your baby! he is absolutely adorable!

Deb, I have mad love for your site. This tart has my name written all over it and I am making it for Thanksgiving this year. Is there enough custard in this recipe to fill an 11″ tart shell? I thought I would make the cusard the night before thanksgiving, cover and chill and cook it in the prebaked tart shell the next day. Will this work?

“Do you love maple syrup?” Oh yes! As soon as I read the title I was intrigued. And reading through the maple syrup questions, I knew this was the recipe for me. It took me a while to find the time/occasion to make this, but finally Thanksgiving presented me with an appropriate event to experiment on my relatives. It was a huge success! Everyone loved it. I followed the directions exactly (with the exception of the crust, which I purchased). The directions were really simple to follow and the pie turned out perfectly. The overall consistency was a little like a custard. The flavor was delicious. I topped with some blueberries and enjoyed bites with and without them. My only complaint was that I think a lot of my freshly ground nutmeg ended up in the bottom portion of the filling which did not completely fit into the pie shell, so I think I lost some of the nutmeg taste. Maybe next time I can sprinkle some of the grated nutmeg over the filling once it is in the pie shell. Overall the nutmeg-maple cream pie was a delicious success and I definitely intend to make it again.

I am one of those addicted to maple syrup, and wish I could taste it in everything!

I was so excited about this pie! But silly me, I mixed the warm cream into the eggs and they scrambled. I don’t think that’s supposed to happen (?) I chronicled the disaster in my blog.

So two years later (2007 to 2009) I get my act together and make this. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. Mine came out a little bit darker and I was afraid it was burnt but it was perfect. My husband was annoyed cause I made this one week then a sweet potato pie the next week. He had to keep telling people at the two parties that the pies weren’t pumpkin pie.

Sigh. I am not really into pumpkin pie, I would rather make the pumpkin bread pudding you posted about. :D Thanks again!

My family speculated that perhaps there are aromatics produced that mimic bacon when maple and nutmeg (and the fat in the cream and eggs) are combined.

I’d like to make this again as I love maple and nutmeg, but am a bit reticent as maple syrup is quite expensive.

Made this for a Winter Olympics party. AWESOME!! The perfect amount of maple-y sweetness. Your site has always had the perfect dish for whatever taste I am craving. Thanks!! p.s. Made your Challah as well. My FIRST success at bread baking! I am addicted.

I definitely did something wrong. I tried to make this pie using a store-bought crust since I’m awful with pastry dough. I par-baked the shell and then filled it and the pie just wouldn’t set. I kept it in the oven for an hour and a HALF (!) and it still came out soggy and kind of jiggly.

I’m sure I messed something up because it looks like others had success with this recipe. The ingredients list is so simple; I have no idea what I could have possibly done wrong. I want to try it again but the thought of throwing away all that delicious maple syrup again makes me hesitant.

I stumbled across this recipe this weekend and it was just what I was looking for. Mine baked up perfectly in a 9″ glass pie dish (not deep dish), with no leftover custard. I wonder if how much you reduce the syrup makes a difference? I prebaked the crust and, after adding the custard, covered the edges with a pie crust shield. SO good. Photos on my blog.

I haven’t given up hope, though, I’m considering trying to cook it over a double boiler like a pastry cream instead. Do you have any recommendations/suggestions/illuminations? Thanks again for your lovely site and for all the hard work you put into it! I appreciate it immensely.

Must try this… And since I live spitting-distance from the town that boasts the world’s largest single day maple syrup fest (Elmira, Canada), I have no excuse not to make it.

I just put mine in the oven and have almost 1/2 cup of filling left over and I only used 2 cups cream because it is sold in 2 cup containers (didn’t want to spend the extra $2 just for 1/4 cup). I think it may have to do with how much you reduce the syrup. I didn’t let mine bubble like in your picture even though it was on medium heat for 5 minutes. I can’t wait to try it though and hopefully it sets okay.

Great use of Trader Joe’s grade B maple syrup and fresh nutmeg! Made this for New Year’s Day, and it was dee-licious. I found it a little difficult to figure out when the syrup was reduced by 1/4, but just let it go for the time indicated (it did bubble a lot). The filling fit perfectly. I stretched the 2-cup container of cream with 1/4 cup lowfat milk. Will definitely make again!

I made this pie and love it! But could I make this ahead of time and freeze it?

My sister, who has celiac, makes this in an almond-meal crust, and it’s basically become our family religion at this point. Between 3 sisters and our mom, we’ve probably made dozens of them. You can just watch people’s eyes glaze over at the first bite…. ;)

Boo, just kidding. Not sure what I was thinging with the egg custard here. Not a great candidate for freezing unless I want it separated and liquidy. Maybe I’ll be able to convince someone else to do it day of, like someone convinced you to make them a wedding cake, Deb!

This pie just won a bake-off at my office and spurred requests for a second pie from all my coworkers who didn’t get to it quickly enough to score a slice! I am definitely making this a Thanksgiving favorite. Next time I make it, I’m going to attempt serving it with whipped cream infused with St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram. I had to special order it from the liquor store, but I think it will be worth the effort.

Just a note for my vegan/egg-allergic homies out there – I was not successful in replacing eggs and dairy in this tart. I am not vegan, so I tried using a combination of ener-g egg replacer and gelatin in place of the eggs. I also used MimicCreme instead of the cream. Taste was off and texture was weird. Now that I am using dairy again I might give it another shot with real cream and see what happen, but maple syrup is soooo expensive!