Featured Recipe
Maple Sugar Pie Twist
By Kate
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A rich maple custard pie with a flaky crust, rebalanced with a pinch less sugar and half the butter replaced by coconut oil for a subtle tropical note. Enhanced texture through cornstarch and arrowroot combo thickener with a dash of cinnamon for warmth. This adapts traditional Maple Pie fundamentals, tuned for home kitchens and flavor layers. Techniques focus on dough handling, blind baking cues, and cooking to custard consistency. Ideal cold or room temp, garnished with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. No nuts, vegetarian friendly. Pay attention to crust browning and custard jiggle - key indicators of doneness. Adds lengthier chilling for firm slice.
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Prep:
35 min
Cook:
30 min
Total:
Serves:
8 servings
dessert
pie
maple
vegan option
Introduction
Maple’s sweet, buttery syrup needs a sturdy crust and cautious cooking. Too hot, and sugars scorch, too cool, and filling won’t set. Gorgeous pie comes from precise crust chill, timed blind bake, and custard that thickens just right. Coconut oil in crust tames butter’s heaviness — subtle exotic note. Thickener duo stabilizes maple in a smooth creamy bed, cinnamon adds background warmth. This slice isn’t about sugar rush; it’s careful balance and textural layers. Watch your dough texture; no sticky mess or crumbly shreds. Learn visual signs. When crust crackles golden and filling barely jiggles, you’re on.
Ingredients
Crust
- 215 ml all-purpose unbleached flour
- 10 ml granulated sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 35 ml cold unsalted butter, diced
- 35 ml cold virgin coconut oil, diced
- 1 egg
- 20 ml cold water, plus more if needed
- 30 ml cornstarch
- 15 ml arrowroot powder
- 45 ml cold water
- 350 ml pure maple syrup
- 75 ml heavy cream 35 %
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 20 ml unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Filling
About the ingredients
Cold fats split in dough create flaky layers. Using unbleached flour keeps pure flavor. Adding coconut oil tames heavy butter, adds tender crumb with hint tropical. The sugar in crust reduced slightly to prevent sweetness overload; maple syrup dominates filling flavor. Cornstarch alone firms up well, but arrowroot adds gloss and silky mouthfeel, slows coagulation for smooth custard. Never rush hydration or mix aggressively, dough builds gluten, tough crust. Keep water cold; add in tiny amounts. Cinnamon in filling isn’t traditional but intelligent flavor lift. Heavy cream subs full fat milk or half and half for richer custard. Butter at finish adds silkiness, caramel fragrance.
Method
Crust
- Chill your fats before starting. Combine flour, sugar, salt in food processor dry bowl. Pulse to mix. Scatter in cold butter and coconut oil cubes. Pulse short bursts, watch for pea-sized bits. Stop before melting. Add egg and water gradually. Pulse to bring dough to shaggy mass. If still crumbly, add splash more water, tablespoon at a time. Don’t overwork or dough gets tough. Gather with hands, press into disc. Wrap tightly. Refrigerate 35 min.
- Lightly flour work surface. Roll dough evenly to 3 mm thickness. Use gentle back and forth motion, keep dough moving so it doesn’t stick or tear. Transfer to 23 cm tart pan, press edges firmly. Trim overhang. Dock surface with fork all over. Refrigerate shell 20 min to rest and set shape. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 215°C (420°F), rack set low.
- Line dough with foil or parchment. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake blind for about 12 minutes. Remove foil and weights carefully—watch steam. Continue baking another 12 minutes or until crust edges turn golden and bottom looks dry but not browned dark. Let cool fully before filling.
- In small bowl, combine cornstarch, arrowroot, and cold water. Whisk until smooth lumps disappear. Pour into medium saucepan. Stir in maple syrup, cream, beaten egg, and cinnamon. Use low heat. Constantly whisk to avoid clumps and scorching. Bubble should start gently. Once it thickens and coats the whisk like pudding, simmer exactly 1 minute.
- Remove from heat. Stir in butter chunks until melted and glossy. Taste for seasoning balance – add pinch salt if needed, subtle caramel aroma should rise. Pour warm filling into cooled crust immediately, smooth top with spatula.
- Cool to room temperature on wire rack, then transfer to fridge at least 3 hours—or longer—to fully set. Jiggly but stable is right texture. If overcooked, custard toughens; undercooked, it’s runny.
- Before serving, run thin knife around edges for clean release. Serve slices with cold vanilla bean ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.
- Maintaining dough coldness crucial for flaky crust. Substitute coconut oil with extra butter if not preferred. Arrowroot adds silkiness and clarity, but cornstarch alone works with shorter cook. Adjust oven rack if bottom crust burns – lower is better. Blind baking essential to avoid soggy bottom; weight keeps crust flat. Watch filling closely while heating – maple sugars burn fast.
- Leftover pie keeps well refrigerated 48 hours. Bring to room temp before eating for best flavor and texture.
Filling
Notes and Tips
Technique Tips
Blind baking crust critical — keeps bottom dry, sets edges. Weighting prevents shrinking, bubbling. Removing weights key when edges show golden color, underbaking leads to soggy base, overbaking breaks the dough matrix, crumbly or burnt edges. Whisk filling off heat first to disperse starch, prevents clumping. Heat low, steady whisk; if heat too high, maple syrup burns, bitterness spoils pie. Watch custard coat whisk, glossy, thickened, not grainy. Stir in butter off stove; butter cools mix slightly, smooths texture. Pour immediately into cooled shell or risk soggy bottom. Chill time can be extended for firmer cut; slicing too soon causes foul leakage. Slice cleanly with hot knife—wipe each cut. Add cream or ice cream for contrast against dense texture.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Chilling fats for dough keeps texture flaky. Too warm, too soft. Use unbleached flour for pure taste. Always keep water cold when mixing dough.
- 💡 Blind bake crust patiently; watch for golden edges. If edges burn, reduce temperature or lower rack. Cornstarch mixes with arrowroot for creamy filling. Don't rush custard cooking.
- 💡 Filling needs stirring, low heat. Whisk gently to prevent burning. Custard should coat whisk thickly. If clumpy, restart that step for smoother finish. Cold water in dough is crucial.
- 💡 Baking time varies, watch for crust and custard signals. Proper chill times crucial for set filling. If they jiggle too much, they need longer chill. Don't rush slicing.
- 💡 Use coconut oil or stick with butter; pick your preference. Experiment with flavorings, cinnamon works well. Leftovers last well in fridge but store carefully to retain texture.
