Bourbon Eggnog Pie
Submitted by itsalingthing
Bourbon eggnog pie: chiffon-style holiday dessert with custard spiked with bourbon and brandy, lifted with whipped egg whites and folded with whipped cream. Topped with more whipped cream and grated nutmeg.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
3½ hrsBourbon eggnog pie is the dessert version of holiday cheer in a pie shell. Custard cooked over a double boiler gets spiked with bourbon and brandy, lightened with whipped egg whites and whipped cream, and chilled into a chiffon-style filling that tastes like the best eggnog you ever drank, only sliced.
The gelatin dissolved in brandy is doing critical work. It sets the chiffon filling without the rubbery texture that makes some chiffon pies feel like jello in a crust. The brandy hydrates the gelatin while contributing flavor that water alone couldn’t match.
Tempering the egg yolks with hot milk is where most home cooks go wrong. Pour hot milk straight into cold yolks and you get scrambled eggs. The recipe’s correct method, slowly stirring a quarter of the hot milk into the yolks first, brings the yolks up to temperature gradually before they meet the rest of the hot milk. Skipping this gives you grainy custard.
The ‘mounds when dropped from a spoon’ visual cue is the timing window for folding in the egg whites and whipped cream. Too thin and the lighter components sink; too set and you can’t fold them in without breaking the foam. Watch for that mounding consistency.
Fold gently. The whipped egg whites and cream are doing the work of giving this pie its airy, mousse-like texture. Stirring deflates them and you end up with a dense, heavy filling instead of clouds.
Serve chilled with extra freshly grated nutmeg on top. Pre-ground nutmeg works but loses aroma fast.
Pro Tips
- Use a graham cracker crust or vanilla wafer crust for a softer pairing with the airy filling.
- Quality bourbon makes a difference here; a smooth mid-shelf bottle (Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace) carries the flavor better than well bourbon.
- Chill the bowl and beaters before whipping the cream for the highest, most stable peaks.
- Make a day ahead. The flavors meld beautifully and the gelatin sets firmer.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Dissolve gelatin in brandy; set aside. Scald milk in top of double boiler. Beat egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar at medium speed.
Gradually stir about ¼ of hot milk into yolk mixture; add to remaining hot milk, stirring constantly. Cook over simmering water, stirring until thick, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in softened gelatin, bourbon, vanilla and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Chill, stirring occasionally until mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon.
Beat egg whites and salt until foamy; add 3 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff. Fold into custard.
Beat ½ cup whipping cream until soft peaks form; fold into custard. Pour filling into prepared crust; chill 3 hours or until set.
Beat remaining ½ cup whipping cream until foamy; add 1 tablespoon powdered sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Garnish pie with whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg.
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