Custard Pie by Radha-Prema

Custard (made with neroli essence) pie.

Pastry:
(makes enough for pie every day for a week)

6 c flour
1 lb. cold butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
enough COLD water to form a dough (around 2-3 c if I remember correctly -- I always eyeball so I have a hard time sharing recipes)

Mix dry ingredients in cold bowl with cold pastry cutter. Cut in butter and mix well (keeping ingredients as cold as possible). Add cold water adn form loose dough. Knead only enough to stick it together. Pack in hand sized lumps in plastic wrap and put in fridge for minimum 30 mins before using. Will keep in fridge for up to a week. Can also be stored in freezer and taken out and thawed in fridge when needed.

To make pie shell, roll out and bake for approx 20 mins (or till golden brown -- another thing I don't do is time things out, I go by smell-- if I can smell it in another room, it is probably five minutes from being done) at 400 F.


Custard:
(makes enough for 4 pies -- these amounts are really out of hand because they are my grandmother and mother's recipes and I am from a family of 12 kids -- I also don't do math so didn't bother making them into more normal amounts. Who needs normal anyway?)

9 c milk
1 c corn starch
1 1/4 c sugar
2 tbsp butter
(1 c coconut)
2 tsp vanilla (or other essence you desire -- for this incarnation I used orange blossom essence which adds a really lovely, refreshing flavour -- other ideas include orange zest, lemon zest, almond essence, or anything else that strikes your fancy)

Mix 1 c of milk in bottom of pot with corn starch and whisk until smooth. Add rest of milk and stir well. Bring heat to medium and stir continuously until becomes thick and boils. Let boil for one minute before removing from heat. Once removed from the heat add butter, sugar, and (coconut) and essence.

Pour into cooled pie shells and let set in fridge. It can later be topped with whipped cream (and toasted coconut, fresh mint, fresh strawberries, whatever is pretty and you think Krsna would really love to eat with His milky pie).

Offer with love and devotion and honour with great relish. :D