Spiced Custard Mini Pies Recipes

SPICED CUSTARD MINI PIES

Steps:

• Roll out piecrust to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Roughly cut into twelve 5 1/2-inch squares, and fit into alternating cups of 2 standard 12-cup muffin tins, folding dough to fit and letting excess hang over edge. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Generously brush edges with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line pie shells with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges of shells are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, and bake until bottom of shells are golden, about 20 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Whisk together granulated sugar, spices, and salt. Add egg yolks, and whisk to combine. Heat cream and milk until almost boiling, then gradually whisk into egg-yolk mixture. Pour custard through a fine sieve, then divide among shells.
• Bake pies until custard is just set but still slightly wobbly in center, about 25 minutes (filling will continue to set as it cools). Let pies cool completely on wire rack, then remove from tins. Before serving, top with whipped cream and nutmeg.

SPICED ORANGE CARAMEL CUSTARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place the ramekins in a deep oven-safe pan or dish. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla bean and scrapings, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, orange zest and ginger over medium heat. Cook until it comes to a simmer. Turn off heat and let it steep for 10 minutes.
• While the heavy cream is steeping, place the sugar and water in a medium saucepan with tall sides. Before turning on the heat, gently mix until the sugar turns the consistency of wet sand. Then cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until the sugar starts to melt and turns deep amber. Turn off the heat and slowly whisk in the warm heavy cream mixture.
• In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and salt. Slowly stir in the warm caramel mixture. Strain this custard through a fine sieve and discard spices.
• Pour the custard into the ramekins and fill the baking pan with boiling water to halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Be careful not to let the water enter inside the ramekin. Cover the baking pan with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil and place inside the oven.
• Bake for 60-75 minutes until the center of the custard is set but still jiggles slightly. Remove from oven and let the ramekins sit in the pan until cool enough to handle. Dry the bottoms of the ramekins and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve with whipped cream and chopped pistachios.

SPICED CUSTARD PIE WITH SESAME CRUST

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and pulse until coarse, pea-sized crumbs appear. With the machine running, add 2 tablespoons ice water and sesame seeds and process until the dough just holds together. Squeeze a small amount of dough between your fingers and if it is very crumbly, pulse in another tablespoon of ice water. Do not overprocess.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and push together into a rough ball. Knead a few times just to combine and flatten into a flat disc. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to overnight).
• When ready to bake pie, combine half-and-half with 1/3 cup sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, ,stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Cover and steep the mixture for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F with rack in lower third of oven. Place a foil-lined baking sheet in the oven. On a floured surface, roll out dough into a 13-inch round. Line the pie pan with the dough. Trim, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang around the pan. Tuck the overhanging dough under and crimp as desired. Transfer pie dish to the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Line the dough with a piece of foil and top with pie weights or beans. Place the pie pan on the preheated baking sheet and bake until the edges are lightly golden, 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until crust is light gold in color, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove pie dish from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool at least 10 minutes, leaving foil-lined baking sheet in the oven. Lower oven temperature to 350°F.
• In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture forms pale yellow ribbons, about 2 minutes. Rub a small amount of the egg mixture in between your fingers to check for any undissolved sugar. If any remains, continue beating the mixture for a bit longer. Gradually whisk 1/2 cup warm cream mixture into the egg mixture to gently warm (or temper) the eggs. Continue to gradually whisk in remaining half-and-half mixture into egg mixture until completely combined. Whisk in vanilla. Place the pie pan on the baking sheet in the oven and strain custard into the cooled pie crust (do not overfill.) Bake until the center is just set, 55 to 65 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days ahead).
• If you'd like to create a burnt-sugar crust, sprinkle remaining tablespoon sugar evenly over top of tart just before serving. Light blowtorch and move flame evenly back and forth just above top of tart, avoiding crust, until sugar is caramelized and slightly browned (be careful not to burn sugar). Let tart stand 5 minutes before serving.

MINI SWEET POTATO PIES

Steps:

• Start the filling: Prepare a steamer. Steam the sweet potato over medium-high heat until falling-apart tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the sweet potato to a food processor and purée until smooth. Alternatively, smash and stir with a heavy whisk until smooth.
• Meanwhile, make the crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cups of a mini-muffin tin with paper liners. Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the butter, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a bowl until evenly combined.
• Divide mixture evenly among the mini-muffin liners (about 1 packed teaspoon per cup). Using a wine cork or your fingertips, firmly press the crumbs into an even layer. Bake until brown at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes.
• While the crust bakes, finish the filling: Smash the sugar, butter, pumpkin pie spice and salt until well combined, then stir in 3/4 cup sweet potato, the coconut milk and the rum until smooth. Stir in the egg until just incorporated.
• When the crusts are done, divide the filling among the hot crusts (about 1 tablespoon per cup). Sprinkle with the coconut flakes. Return to the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees.
• Bake until the coconut is golden brown and the pies are set, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pans on a wire rack until room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours.