Custard Pie

Spring brings so many wonderful things, but few can rival the egg. With modern marvels like lights on timers, we can enjoy farm fresh eggs all year, but the Spring is when we look forward to an egg-stravaganza! This is when all those egg recipes come out, and egg salad sandwiches make their way into lunch baskets. As egg production really picks up, we can look forward to selling them and sharing the enjoyment of those dark yellow, free range yolks.

I’m not sure I had ever had custard pie, or given it much thought until I was listening to Led Zeppelin one day and thought that “Custard Pie” sounded like a good thing to make with the extra eggs I had in the fridge. There’s the power of suggestion for you. It was such a big hit, that I have been making custard pie as a Springtime treat ever since. Besides being delicious, with all those eggs in it, one can easily justify it as a breakfast option the next day.

Here’s the recipe I use from “The Joy of Cooking.” I made a gluten-free almond pie crust, but any old pie crust will do. You might want to make two of these, because they go fast!

Pie crust

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups milk or coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Bake pie crust in the oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

Beat eggs, add sugar, salt, milk and vanilla.

Pour into pie crust, and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake about 30 minutes or until firm.

(from Nourishing Traditions)

1 cup almonds

3/4 cup arrowroot starch

3/8 cups butter softened

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

Place almonds in food processor and grind to a meal.

Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth.

Press into a well buttered pie pan.

Here’s a little something to rock out to in the kitchen while you try making this recipe.

The song that inspired my culinary curiosity: “Custard Pie” by Led Zeppelin.