Sugar Pie

“I’ve heard that sugar pie used to be made by stirring brown sugar, cream and flour with your finger right in the pie shell,” says chefs Dominic Paul & Jessi Duffy who’s recipe is featured in Ottawa Cooks by Anne DesBrisay. “That’s something I like about traditional desserts; they tend to be homely and unsophisticated. In our family, we would make a similar filling, sucre à la crème, to pour over whatever dessert happened to be on the table. This recipe makes more dough than you would typically need for a lidless pie, but I like to make a double-thick bottom crust. The cookie-like crust is the perfect pairing for the rich, creamy filling. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.”

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Sugar Pie

Course Dessert

Ingredients

Pastry dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• A little less than 1/2 lb cold butter (about 7/8 cup)
• 1 egg
• Tiny pinch of salt

Sugar filling:

• 1 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp packed golden brown sugar
• 2 1/2 cups whipping 35% cream
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup water

Instructions

Pastry dough:

• Have ready a 9-inch pie plate.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour and sugar. Add butter and, using your hands or a pastry blender, crumble it into the dry ingredients. Add egg and knead the dough (still in the bowl or on a clean work surface) until it forms a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough in a circle until it is 1/4 inch thick. Carefully place the rolled dough into the pie plate (there will be an excess of dough, so just fold it back into the pie for a thicker crust). Set aside while you prepare the filling.

Sugar filling:

• In a medium pot, combine brown sugar and cream and cook, stirring, over low heat until it reaches a simmer. Let bubble gently, without stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes to dissolve the sugar, reduce slightly and concentrate the flavour.
• In a small bowl, make a slurry of cornstarch and water and add it to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and whisk continuously until the mixture starts to boil. Remove it from the heat, whisking for a few seconds more, then let cool for about 5 minutes (do not allow it to cool completely).

Finish pie:

• Preheat the oven to 400°Pour the filling into the pie shell. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden. Let cool completely at room temperature before slicing.

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