salty sweet

This post is going to be one of those that really bothers me–for the simple fact that this pie is so damn good that no words (including “oohs” and “ahhs”)  nor pictures will do it justice.

The first time I made this was for Thanksgiving last year. My family and I were already in a food coma, but “there is ALWAYS room for dessert” my sister says.

Three bites later and I swear I was high off dessert. Mind, body, and soul–everything oozing with euphoria just because of this pie. Sounds dramatic, I know.

It could have been the lingering food coma, but it was a wonderful sense of fullness, so this recipe has become an unbeatable addition to my list of favorite desserts.

Salted Caramel Pie

Damn good.

♫   ♫   ♫   ♫   ♫   ♫   ♫   ♫   ♫   ♫   ♫   ♫   ♫   ♫

There are some dreams I wish I could live in and never wake up. In the dream, I’d be eating salted caramel pie and listening to this playlist. Summer Heart, Fake Natives, Arcade Fire, Labyrinth Ear, Lips, Sun Glitters, The New Division, and more. Enjoy.

Salted Caramel Pie

Yeah, so thank you Food & Wine for sharing this lovely recipe. Really though, a million thanks to Carrie Cusack at Simplethings Sandwich and Pie Shop in LA. This recipe alone makes me want to rent a vacant lot next door, create one, or move into one of your cupboards.

I actually don’t think this recipe is that hard. There are a lot of steps and, of course, the required patience, but I tend to think it’s rather simple. Just follow the directions carefully.

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a food processor, pulse the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and light brown sugar until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly into a 9-inch glass or metal pie plate. Bake for about 10 minutes, just until lightly browned. Let cool. Increase the oven temperature to 425°.

You’ll be scraping the condensed milk into a 9-by-13-inch glass then sticking that into a roasting pan, so make sure to purchase one large enough to fit the glass pan.

Add enough hot water to the pan to reach one-third of the way up the side of the baking dish.

Bake, lifting the foil to stir 2 or 3 times, until the condensed milk is golden and thickened, about 2 hours; add more water to the roasting pan as necessary. When you’re caramel looks like the right color to you, it’s done. Don’t worry if it’s lumpy looking–it will smooth out as it chills.

Salted Caramel Pie

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 5 ounces)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• two 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
• fluer de sel (coarse sea salt)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a food processor, pulse the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and light brown sugar until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly into a 9-inch glass or metal pie plate. Bake for about 10 minutes, just until lightly browned. Let cool. Increase the oven temperature to 425°.
2. Scrape the condensed milk into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish and sprinkle with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of fleur de sel. Cover the dish with foil and place it in a roasting pan. Add enough hot water to the pan to reach one-third of the way up the side of the baking dish. Bake, lifting the foil to stir 2 or 3 times, until the condensed milk is golden and thickened, about 2 hours; add more water to the roasting pan as necessary. The consistency of the caramel should be like dulce de leche. Don’t worry if it is lumpy; it will smooth out as it chills.
3. Scrape the caramel filling into the pie crust, smoothing the top. Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with vegetable oil spray and cover the pie. Refrigerate until the filling is chilled and set, at least 4 hours.
4. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream with the confectioners’ sugar until firm. Remove the plastic. Mound the whipped cream on top of the pie and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Cut into wedges and serve.

You can prepare this recipe through step 2 up to 5 days ahead. It recommends refrigerating the crust and filling separately, but I did that and had to reheat the caramel in order to scrape it into the crust. (I was annoyed and rushed for time), but it worked out just fine. I think you’d also be a-okay refrigerating them together. I mean, that’s how you save the leftovers anyway…