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Egg Nog Pie

By Ashley English, Small Measure

Pretty much as soon as Halloween has passed, I’m ready for eggnog.  A perennial holiday pleaser, the egg and cream beverage begs to be rendered into a custardy pie. Don’t skimp on the nutmeg; it’s key to imparting eggnog’s characteristic flavor.

Makes: One 9-inch pie.

You will need:
1/2 recipe Basic Pie Dough (recipe follows)

Filling:
1 cup whole milk
5 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp bourbon, rum, or brandy
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinnamon
Nutmeg, freshly grated

To Make:
Prepare the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Remove one disk of the dough from the refrigerator. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface.
3. Fit the dough into a 9-inch baking pan and trim the overhang to 1 inch. Crimp the edges decoratively, if desired.
4. Prick the bottom of the crust about 6-7 times with a fork. Place the crust in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
5. Line the piecrust with parchment and fill it with dried beans or pie weights.
6. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, then remove from the oven, leaving the oven at 400 degrees F.
7. Remove the dried beans or pie weights and parchment. Cool the crust completely before filling.

Prepare the filling:

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Watch carefully and remove the pan from heat just before bubbles begin forming on the surface of the milk. Set aside.
2. Whisk the eggs, sugar, alcohol, salt, and cinnamon in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Slowly add in the warmed milk, whisking in a bit at a time before adding more.
3. Once all of the milk is added to the egg mixture, whisk thoroughly to ensure all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Assemble the pie:

1. Pour the mixture into the prepared piecrust. Grate fresh nutmeg liberally over the surface of the egg mixture.
2. Place the pie pan on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
3. Cool at least 1 hour before serving.

Basic Pie Dough
Makes: Crust for one double-crust pie.

You Will Need:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks), chilled and cubed
3/4 cup ice water

To Make:

1. Mix the flour and salt together in a medium-large mixing bowl.
2. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, incorporate the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, but with several pea and lima bean-sized butter bits in the mix.
3. Slowly drizzle in the ice water. Stir with a mixing spoon until the dough starts to clump.
4. Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface and fold it together into itself using your hands. The dough should come together easily but shouldn't feel overly sticky.
5. Divide the dough in half and shape into two flattened disks. Wrap each dough ball in cellophane and refrigerate for at least an hour.
6. Proceed according to the recipe instructions above.