Custard Pie with Nutmeg “Romantic Evening”

Ingredients

For Pie Shells

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 8 tbsp. cubed mild unsalted butter
• 5 tbsp. cold water

For Filling

• 5 eggs
• ½ cup of white sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 ½ cups of milk
• ½  tsp. vanilla
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground or grated nutmeg

Preparation

Directions for making pie shell

1. Combine flour, salt, sugar and blend it well in a food processor.
2. Take a half of butter (4 tbsp.) and add it to the mixture. Pulse it for 6 times to make the mixture crumbly with pea-sized bits.
3. Add cold water, sprinkling it gradually (one spoon after another) on the mixture. And pulse food processor again.
4. As you add more ice water, crumbles in the mixture unite and make little clumps.
5. Press these clumps to prepare dough for a pie shell. Roll the dough and make a flattened disk. Chill it for half an hour in the fridge.
6. Take it out and form 12-inch discs on the surface with flour to avoid sticking.
7. Make a deep pie shell in the round pan (9 inches in diameter) in a preheated oven at 400 F (200C).
8. Place the disc, remove excessive dough and decorate it with crimps on the edge.
9. Line the pan with foil and toss beans on the pie shell to avoid deformation in the oven.
10. Bake it for 10-15 minutes with foil and weight of beans, then remove them and bake for a couple of minutes. In case, bubbles still appeared in spite of weight, you should not prickle them. Try to push them down gently.

Directions for making filling

1. Pre heat the milk without bringing to a boil.
2. In a bowl, beat up the eggs and sugar, add salt, vanilla and nutmeg.
3. Incorporate the mixture gradually into the hot milk little by little.
4. Pour gently the filling into a pie shell.
5. Make the foil ring or use a pie shield to cover the pie.
6. Bake again for 20 minutes at 210 F (100C).
7. Remove the pie shield and bake for another 15 minutes.
8. Cool the pie on the rack before serving.