Praline Cream Pie
Submitted by pudduk
Praline cream pie with a graham-praline crust, silky vanilla custard folded with crumbled pecan pralines, and pillowy whipped cream on top. A New Orleans dessert through and through.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
50 minCOOK
10 minREADY
60 minThis is straight-up New Orleans dessert territory. Pecan pralines, those candy-store classics of pecans suspended in a crackly brown sugar shell, get crumbled into both the crust and the filling, putting the praline flavor everywhere you look. The crust mixes graham cracker crumbs with crushed pralines and butter for a base that smells like a Bourbon Street pastry shop the moment it hits the oven.
The filling is a proper French-style pastry cream, scratch-made the way it should be. Milk gets scalded with vanilla and a splash of cane syrup (the Louisiana sweetener that brings unrefined sugar depth), then tempered into yolks and cornstarch. After a brief cook to thicken and a fine sieve to ensure silkiness, the cream chills over an ice bath until cold, and another full cup of crumbled pralines folds in.
Fresh-whipped cream sweetened with sugar and a touch of cane syrup spreads over the chilled filling. The garnish of chocolate sauce, powdered sugar, and mint is the sit-down restaurant flourish that turns each slice into a plated dessert.
Pro Tips
- Temper the egg yolks slowly. Pour the hot milk in quarter-cup additions while whisking the yolk mixture, otherwise the eggs scramble.
- Strain the cooked custard through a fine sieve while it’s still hot. Lumps are easier to push through warm.
- Cool the custard fully over ice before folding in pralines. Warm custard melts the praline candy.
- Add pralines to the filling just before pouring into the crust. Mixed in too early they soften and lose their crackle.
Variations
- Swap pralines for chopped toffee bits or Heath bars for a butterscotch-toffee twist.
- Add a tablespoon of bourbon or dark rum to the cooked custard for grown-up depth.
- Use a chocolate cookie crust instead of graham for a chocolate-praline pairing.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).
In a 9-inch pie pan, combine the crumbs, pralines and butter together until the mixture is bibded together.
Spread and press the mixture evenly on the bottom and sides of the dish to make crust.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it is brown.
Remove from oven and cool completely.
For the filling: In a non-reactive sauce pan, combine milk, sugar, vanilla, and syrup over medium heat.
Stir slowly to dissolve the sugar and heat long enough to scald the milk.
Remove from the heat. In a mixing bowl, combine egg yolks with the cornstarch and mix well.
Add ¼ cup of the milk mixture at a time to the egg mixture, blending in between each addition, until all is combined.
Pour the mixture into a saucepan and over medium heat, stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir until smooth and thick. Remove from heat and put through a fine sieve to remove any lumps.
Chill the filling in an ice bath until cold.
Fold in the pralines and spread evenly into the pie crust.
Refrigerate for 2 hours or until it sets.
For the whipping cream: Using an electric mixer, whip the cream, sugar ans syrup until stiff peaks form.
Spread the cream evenly of the top of the pie.
Slice a piece of the pie and place on plate.
Garnish with pralines, chocolate sauce, powdered sugar and fresh mint sprigs.
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