Recipe: Creme Brûlée Pie (2024)

by Thrifty Homesteader

Recipe: Creme Brûlée Pie (1)

If your backyard hens have thrown themselves into full production mode, and you want a super delicious and FAST dessert, creme brûlée pie is the recipe for you. I included this one in Homegrown and Handmade, and because it was so fast to make, I often demonstrated this when doing TV talk shows to promote the book. It was no problem at all to get this mixed up and into the pie plate in the 5-minute TV segments.

Recipe: Creme Brûlée Pie (2)

It is also not nearly as decadent as it tastes. With only 172 calories per slice (1/8 of the pie), I have even been known to eat a slice for breakfast. Compare the nutrition facts with a lot of children’s breakfast cereals, and this pie is actually more nutritious. I am not saying you should have it every day, but you don’t have to feel guilty if you have this as a dessert every now and then.

Butter a 10-inch, deep-dish pie pan. Do not flour it, or the custard filling with bubble up, and you’ll have some very thin areas after you take it out of the oven and it falls. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the following ingredients into a blender and blend on low for about 30 seconds or until all ingredients look well mixed:

2 cups whole milk (cow or goat)
1/2 cup flour (all purpose or rice flour)
3/4 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
4 eggs

Pour into pie pan. Gentlysprinkle with 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar. The turbinado sugar will stay crunchy on top of the pie through the baking process and mimics the flame-kissed top of creme brulee. The batter will be quite runny, so take care when placing in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes. A sharp knife inserted into the center of the pie should come out clean, and the sliced area should stay open and not look watery inside. We chill the pie in the refrigerator for at last four hours before serving, although a few people have told me that they like it when it’s still warm. And a word about the lovely yellow color of the pie in the picture — don’t expect your pie to be that dark unless you are using eggs from pastured chickens.

Gluten-free alternatives

Rice flour is the best gluten-free alternative. Oat flour also works nicely, if you don’t have a problem with cross-contamination in oat products. Almond flour and coconut flour will create something that is nothing like creme brulee.

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Recipe: Creme Brûlée Pie (4)

19 thoughts on “Recipe: Creme Brûlée Pie”

  1. This is such an easy looking recipe! I think it would be wonderful for an Easter dinner too. Thank you so much for linking up to the Sunday Social Blog hop this week.

    Reply

  2. I did make this:
    Just wonderful and easy
    thank you

    Reply

    • Awesome! Thanks for the feedback. Glad it worked well for you!

      Reply

  3. I have made this many times in the past weeks, everyone loved it that I shared it with. This is a wonderful way to use up those eggs and fresh goats milk,,, so easy too just my style!

    Thank you, do you happen to have a good goats milk fudge recipe?
    Dianne

    Reply

  4. Any way to make it Gluten Free for us Celiacs?

    Reply

    • I’m so glad you asked! In the second edition of Homegrown and Handmade I added a gluten-free alternative. Rice flour is the best alternative flour, and oat flour comes in a close second, although I know some people have issues with cross-contamination with oats sometimes. Almond flour and coconut flour are terrible in this recipe!

      Reply

  5. Any way to make this so I can print it for my recipe folder? I’m still old-fashioned that way. 🙂

    Reply

    • My old-fashioned idea is to cut and paste it into a Word document. 🙂 Sorry this recipe is not in the recipe app because I posted it before I had the recipe app.

      Reply

  6. Looks delicious!! Have you ever tried this with a refined sugar alternative like maple syrup?

    Reply

    • I have not, although we make our own maple syrup, and I make ice cream with maple syrup. I’m worried about increasing the liquid content and it not setting up firmly enough to be able to cut and slice it.

      Reply

  7. Hi- The pie recipe looked great and I plan on trying it soon! My question is about using raw goats milk. If the pie bakes at 350 degrees for 40 min. would it be pasteurized? I have some family members who can’t drink it raw but I think would enjoy it in this recipe as long as its pasteurized. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Yes, as soon as milk hits 170 degrees, it is instantly pasteurized.

      Reply

      • Great! Thank you!

        Reply

  8. It’s in the oven now. I made with almond extract. Plus, I substituted the whole milk with equal parts 2-percent and half-and-half (what I had on hand). And I used 1/2 cup sugar in mix, and sprinkled with 1/4 cup. I can never leave a recipe alone or follow directions. If it’s a disaster, I’ll let you know. But thanks for sharing your recipes.

    Reply

    • No problem! The almond extract sounds like a great variation! If the top cracks badly, it’s because of how much sugar you sprinkled on top. I eventually settled on only 1 tablespoon because whenever I used much more, the top would crack during cooking, so there would be large areas where there was no sugar.

      Reply

  9. Have you tried this substituting honey for the sugar in the pie?

    Reply

    • I have not. Since we have plenty of maple syrup, we sometimes substitute that in some recipes, which is another liquid sweetener, so keep in mind that because this pie needs to firm up, if you add honey, you should decrease the milk so that the amount of liquid stays about the same.

      Reply

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Recipe: Creme Brûlée Pie (2024)

FAQs

What not to do when making crème brûlée? ›

Avoid These Common Mistakes and Make a Flawless Crème Brûlée
  1. Using the Wrong Size Ramekin. Crème brûlée is traditionally baked in a wide, shallow ramekin. ...
  2. Using Whole Eggs. The pudding portion of crème brûlée should be trembling and tender, but still rich and creamy. ...
  3. Getting Water in the Pudding. ...
  4. Torching the Wrong Sugar.
Jan 20, 2016

What is the secret of crème brûlée? ›

Chill custard overnight.

To get the smoothest, most gorgeous crème brûlée, cover the bowl and chill overnight. If you don't have the time, you can continue with the baking, but you'll get the silkiest custards by chilling the mix for at least a few hours.

What is the best sugar to use on crème brûlée? ›

For the caramelized sugar crust, we recommend turbinado or Demerara sugar. Regular granulated sugar will work, too, but use only 1 scant teaspoon on each ramekin or 1 teaspoon on each shallow fluted dish.

Can you overmix crème brûlée? ›

Overbeating crème brûlée compromises texture

What many may not be aware of, however, is that it also demands restraint — from overbeating. As MasterClass explains, beating the custard mixture requires only just enough vigor to "fully incorporate" its ingredients.

What temperature should crème brûlée be cooked at? ›

Cook the crèmes for 45-60 minutes on the sturdy baking tray in the oven on the lower rack at 100℃ (210℉) (There's no water bath.). If you are using large ramequins (bigger than 4 inches/10cm), your cook time can be up to an hour.

Should crème brûlée be served warm or cold? ›

A perfect crème brûlée is served warm at the top of the custard (nearest the torching) and cold at the bottom. You can eat crème brûlée the day you make them; however, be sure to chill the custards for at least three hours before caramelizing the sugar.

Can you use milk instead of cream for creme brulee? ›

A lighter version of the classic French dinner party dessert, this vanilla crème brûlée recipe from Raymond Blanc uses milk instead of traditional double cream.

Is it better to overcook or undercook creme brulee? ›

Undercook the creme brulee and it will still be liquid. Overcook it, and it might curdle. It's why during this step you carefully cook the egg yolks. In a creme brulee you want the entire filling to be set, smooth and firm.

How do you keep sugar hard on creme brulee? ›

Sprinkle the Demerara sugar evenly on top of the creme brulee. Broil for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the sugar melts completely and most of it caramelizes, rotating the pan occasionally to even the browning. Cool on a wire rack for 1 minute to allow the sugar to harden, then serve immediately.

How do you keep creme brulee crispy? ›

Don't chill too long after adding topping: Once you caramelize the topping, don't refrigerate the crème brûlée longer than 30 minutes because the gorgeous hardened top will deteriorate and become soft.

What causes crème brûlée to curdle? ›

Our answer. If you have a mixture resembling sweet scrambled eggs then the eggs in the creme brulee are curdling and this happens because they become over heated. If you are making the custard in a saucepan then we suggest that you look at Nigella's Creme Brulee recipe from Kitchen.

Why is my crème brûlée not crispy? ›

The issue is the moisture in the sugar. You see it when the torch seems to bubble allot of the sugar but nothing happens. You would have to keep the torch on it to evaporate all the water first. Physics, water top heat is 212 yet you need your sugar to hit around 340 to caramelize.

Why is my crème brûlée curdling? ›

If the heat is too intense, the egg protein sets up quite rigid and can quickly curdle over the stovetop, or may become too firm after baking in the oven—low and slow is the key. The final texture of crème brûlée is soft-set, similar to the texture of Greek yogurt, not a firm custard like flan.

How do you make crème brûlée not overcook? ›

Baking the custards in a water bath ensures even, gentle cooking that reduces the risk of overcooking your crème brûlée. Using a blowtorch to caramelize the raw sugar topping results in an evenly caramelized crust that shatters easily.

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