Bee doo bee do bee do bee do brr brr brr brr brr brr brr brr Honey Pie! Honey pie!

Oh, this pie...  Oh my.  My, Oh, my, this pie!

I have a secret to tell, from my electrical well... I followed this recipe, because I was long mystified about how to make a pie with honey as the star of the show.  Not to put too fine a point on it... it is no longer the only bee in my bonnet, because now I know.  And now I also know how these ingredients play with each other.  It's quite interesting.  This pie finishes in layers, and that is fine with me.  It's delicious, and fun to look at, as well as eat in layers.

I am pretty sure I figured out what happened here:  It appears the butter and sugar layers made their way to the top, while the sweet, lovely delicate honey custard settled to the bottom.  The top is still lovely and custardy too; it's just a bit more dense, and tastes more like a caramel than the bottom.  All good things, in my book.

If you know me, you know I pull things apart to taste each thing, indivdually.  I even do this with flavoured nuts and chips.  I will separate things.  So, I feel like this pie gets me, and I love that.  

It did a thing that scared the crap out of me, though.  See, I had a timer set, and somehow, the timer was reset.  So, I set it for 10 minutes, went in to check on it, and it was soupy.  I reset the timer, went back in, and it looked like it had burned, all to fucking hell.  I was not amused.  I may have cried, because honey is not cheap, or non-valuable to me; especially meadow foam, which is basically liquid gold, and I'm not even kidding.  If you have never had this honey, you really must try it.  It has no equal.  None.

375 seemed like kind of a high temperature for something with that high of a sugar content.  I may go lower and slower next time, and see how that goes.  I have a feeling my choice in honey may have also played a role, because meadowfoam is pretty sweet and candy like.

Annnnd... like I said, my relationship with this pie is far from over.  I am going to revisit it with a few things I think will add to the flavour profile, so look for that in the next few months.

But... well?  This is what it looked like when it came out.  Did I mention, I cried?

Yeah.  See?  Fuck, man!  Those honey bees?  They are hard working little ladies, and I wanted to do them proud.

Well, I took it out.  It had a jiggle to it, so I figured it was probably OK, underneath.  A few hours later, I cut into it.  Lo and behold, not only was it fine, but the burnt bit?  Fucking tasty as hell, that.

Things I am going to change the next time I make this:  Well?  I'm not going to give away all my secrets, but the crust?  It's going to get a blind bake.  Because as written?  This recipe yielded an undercooked crust.  That is something you should absolutely do this time if you follow this recipe according to me.  It may be different with their version, but well?  I didn't use the crust recipe in the linked post; just the filling, because I really love Basic Bitch.  

Part of the issue may have been my fault, because... see?  We like a thicker crust, and I think that a pie with a delicate custard should have a thicker crust, so it holds up when you go to cut and plate it. 

I went thick this time. 

When I revisit this, I will do what I mentioned, and see.  I'm unconcerned about the crust becoming too dark, because if it starts to do that, you know what you can do?  Just throw a little foil over it, to keep it from burning.  That's what you do with that.

Anyway, here's the recipe, courtesy of Nigella, courtesy of guest bloggers, and writers of the Four And Twenty Blackbirds cookbook, Emily and Melissa Elsen.

You will need:

Clean, cold, smooth surface for rolling dough

Rolling pin

Large mixing bowl

pastry blender, or fork

food scales, or measuring cups

measuring spoons

9" glass pie dish.  It just does a better job with custard pies.

Ingredients: 

1 Basic Bitch Pie Crust Recipe, Ready to go.

1 stick unsalted butter (melted)

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon white cornmeal  (I used almond flour, because I'm allergic to corn.  It worked very well, too.)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla paste (Nielsen-Massey makes a readily available one)

¾ cup honey

3 large eggs

½ cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 - 2 teaspoons soft sea salt flakes (for finishing

Start by rubbing just a small amount of oil on your measuring cups.  You will see in a moment, why.

See this?  This is THE SHIT.  This honey is so good, it's almost indescribable.  But?  I can describe it.  It's very similar to marshmallows, and has less of a fruity/floral beeswax taste, more of a candy/vanilla flavour.  If you haven't tried it, seriously forget everything you think about honey, and give this one a go.

Here, we revisit why you want to oil those cups.  This honey is very thick.  VERY thick.  It's only going to come out of your cups with help.

In this pan, we have the melted butter, sugar, almond flour, eggs, vanilla and salt.  Give those things a stir, and then add this glorious dark amber goo.

Stir very well.

Add your cream, and vinegar.

Pass everything through a fine sieve, so you catch anything you don't want in there, like the egg's chalaza, etc.  (The chalaza is that white bit that you see off of the yolk.  It acts as a balancing/flotation device for the yolk, and keeps it in the center of the egg.  I know you are super curious about this, and I like to be pedantic at times.  Just humour me.)

So, once you have it in the shell, brush with a little eggiweg wash, 'cause that makes it a little purdier.

Bake at 375 f or 190 C for 35-40 minutes, rack in the center of the oven.   Allow it to cool for at least 4 hours before cutting into it.  It's good at room temperature, but even better the next day, after being refrigerated.

Once cooled, finish with flaked sea salt on top.

Enjoy!

-H