Québécois Sugar Cream Pie

  

I had some pastry leftover in the freezer from baking my Tourtiere last weekend for my father's birthday. I decided that I wanted to bake a pie for this weekend.

I didn't want to bake just any pie however I wanted to bake something which is typically Canadian and from my French Canadian Heritage.

 

 

My father is French Canadian. We travelled through Quebec off and on through the years and spent summer holidays at my Grandmaman's.  

I can remember on one occasion my Aunts and Uncles buying puff pastry and eating it in bowls with rich caramel and loads of sweet cream. The Québécois  love anything with caramel.  Or at least my Québécois family do. 

 

I also had experienced sugar pie bought at a rest stop in Quebec during the years I was married and raising a family.  We drove through Quebec many times.  Taste memories are the best kinds.

I went looking for a recipe to make a sugar pie, but then I spied this recipe for a Québécois Sugar Cream Pie in a baking book of mine. The Redpath Canadian Bake Book. 

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Everything I have  baked from it has been exemplary. If you are looking for a good baking book, you can't go wrong! 

 

My photographs for this pie are not near as nice as the one is in the book.  It pictures a lovely pie with a golden crust decorated with a Fleur de Lis, which is the flower of Quebec. Very pretty.

I just cut heart shapes out of my top crust to vent it.  

One thing which really appealed to me with this pie was its ease of preparation. As you all know I can be a tad bit lazy when it comes to cooking sometimes, and if something promised to be easy AND delicious, I am all for it! 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO BAKE QUÉBECOIS SUGAR CREAM PIE 

Ordinary kitchen staple ingredients. Nothing outrageous here!  I like that. 

For the pastry:

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2 cups all purpose flour (280g)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter (76g)
1/3 cup lard (or white vegetable shortening) (74g)
5 to 6 tablespoons of ice water 

This is the best pastry. I use this butter lard pastry for all my pies, sweet and savory, if I can. 

 

For the Filling:

• 2 cups (480ml) whipping cream (35%)
• 1 cup (180g) lightly packed soft light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (room temperature)
• 1/3 cup (47g) plain all purpose flour

 

HOW TO MAKE THE PASTRY

You may want to make the pastry the day before, which will speed up the process even more.  

1. To make the pastry, mix flour with salt, and cut in butter and lard, until you have pieces of fat in the flour about the size of peas. (Use a pastry blender or two round bladed knives.)
2. Add ice water, one TBS at a time, tossing it in with a fork until pastry comes together. Shape into a ball and cut in two pieces. Form each piece into a round flat disc. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  (Or overnight.)

If you chill the pie crust overnight, take it out of the refrigerator about 1 hour prior to baking. 

 

HOW TO MAKE THE FILLING

1. Make the filling while the pastry is chilling. Whisk the brown sugar and flour together in a saucepan. Whisk in the cream and add the butter. 
2. 
   
3. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside, stirring every five minutes, until needed. 

 

HOW TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE PIE

You will need to blind bake the bottom crust for 10 to 15 minutes. This is not hard to do. 

1. Preheat oven to 375*F/ gas mark 5/ 190*C.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the pastry discs into a 12 inch circle. Use this to line a 9 inch pie plate. Trim and flute.
3. Line with baking paper or foil and some baking beans. Blind bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350*C/gas mark 4/ 180*C.

  

 

 

1. While the crust is blind baking, roll the remaining pastry out 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut a 9-inch circle out. Cut some holes out in the center for venting the pie. 

 

1. Remove the baking beans from the pie. Pour in the filling. Top with the 9 inch pastry circle. Don't worry you just lay it gently on top. There is no need to seal the pie crust edges.
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2. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
3. Leave to cool to room temperature before cutting into thin slices to serve. Delicious!
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Trust me when I say that the most difficult part of this pie is waiting for it to cool down enough so that you can cut it into slices.  This is one of the tastiest pies you could ever want to bake and eat.

Your family will think you have slaved over a hot stove all day to make it. You needn't tell them just how easy it was.  That can be out tasty little secret!

If you only bake one dessert this weekend, let it be this pie! 😋😋😋

Québécois Sugar Cream Pie

Yield: 8 - 10 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 1 H & 35 M

This is an authentic French Canadian recipe which features a deliciously creamy brown sugar custard filling.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 2 cups all purpose flour (280g)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter (76g)
• 1/3 cup lard (or white vegetable shortening) (74g)
• 5 to 6 tablespoons of ice water

For the filling:

• 2 cups (480ml) whipping cream (35%)
• 1 cup (180g) lightly packed soft light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/3 cup (47g) plain all purpose flour

Instructions

1. To make the pastry, mix flour with salt, and cut in butter and lard, until you have pieces of fat in the flour about the size of peas. (Use a pastry blender or two round bladed knives.)
2. Add ice water, one TBS at a time, tossing it in with a fork until pastry comes together. Shape into a ball and cut in two pieces. Form each piece into a round flat disc. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Make the filling while the pastry is chilling. Whisk the brown sugar and flour together in a saucepan. Whisk in the cream and add the butter. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat, until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside, stirring every five minutes, until needed.
4. Preheat oven to 375*F/ gas mark 5/ 190*C.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the pastry discs into a 12 inch circle. Use this to line a 9 inch pie plate. Trim and flute.
6. Line with baking paper or foil and some baking beans. Blind bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350*C/gas mark 4/ 180*C.
7. While the crust is blind baking, roll the remaining pastry out 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut a 9-inch circle out. Cut some holes out in the center for venting the pie.
8. Remove the baking beans from the pie. Pour in the filling. Top with the 9 inch pastry circle. Don't worry you just lay it gently on top. There is no need to seal the pie crust edges.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
10. Leave to cool to room temperature before cutting into thin slices to serve. Delicious!
11. Reduce the oven

Did you make this recipe?

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