Sugar pie - Depot Eatery
On the menu since Al Brown opened doors at Depot in 2011, Sugar Pie epitomises the knack Al has for creating signature dishes with just a handful of great ingredients. Here a perfect crust is filled with eggs, brown sugar and cream. Al was introduced to this dessert in Montreal, a city that has had a notable influence on his cooking. Sugar Pie is best shared with good friends.
Serves 6-8
Shortcrust pastry base
21⁄2 cups standard flour
225g cold butter, roughly chopped
1⁄2 cup caster sugar
3⁄4 cup icing sugar
1 egg
2 egg yolks
Filling
21⁄2 cups firmly packed soft brown sugar
1 litre cream
5 large eggs
To serve
whipped cream
Place the flour, butter and sugars in a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse breadcrumb consistency. Add the single egg and pulse again until the dough just starts to form. Turn out onto a floured bench and with your hands, work quickly to bring the dough together. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Grease a 28cm x 3cm deep pie dish. Preheat oven to 150°C.
Once pastry is rested, roll out on a lightly floured bench to a 4mm thickness. Carefully take one edge of the pastry and lay it over the rolling pin to pick it up, then slowly unroll it onto the pie dish. Push the pastry into the sides, and patch up any holes or cracks with the trimmings that you have cut from excess pastry around the rim. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
Once rested, line pastry with baking paper, and weigh it down with rice or ceramic beans, and blind bake for about 20 minutes, until it begins to turn golden around the edge. Take out of the oven and remove the baking paper and weights.
Whisk the two egg yolks in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to paint the pie shell with the yolks. Place back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
Reduce the oven to 120°C.
Pour the brown sugar and cream into a medium-sized saucepan and place over medium–low heat. Gently heat the mixture for 5 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes.
Crack the eggs into a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Pour cream mixture into egg mixture in a slow steady stream, whisking until incorporated, then strain mixture through a fine sieve. Place the tart shell on an oven tray, then carefully pour in filling.
Bake for 50 minutes. The pie is cooked when it has firmed up but still wobbles like homemade jelly in the centre. If not set, continue cooking and check at 5-minute intervals until done. Carefully remove from oven, cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate for several hours until completely set.
Remove from the fridge, cut thick slices of the sugar pie, and serve with a healthy dollop of whipped cream.
Recipe and image from Auckland Eats Vol.1 published by Lazy Susan. 📷: Liz Clarkson
