State Fair Recipe: Lemon Custard Pie Recipe

by Chef Katie Elsing from Cooks of Crocus Hill

Pie Dough Prep Instructions

Makes 900 Grams Pie Dough - Fits 1 each 9 inch x 2 inch pie dish

Ingredients

• AP Flour - 380 grams
• Unsalted Butter, Cold - 310 grams
• Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt - 8 grams
• Granulated Sugar - 32 grams
• Cold Water - 110 grams
• Sour Cream - 60 grams

Equipment Needed

• Medium Sized Mixing Bowl
• Small Mixing Bowl
• Small Whisk
• Bench Knife
• Rolling Pin
• Fork
• Plastic Wrap
• Dusting Flour

Instructions for Making Pie Dough

1. Whisk together water and sour cream in small mixing bowl and place in fridge
2. In the Medium Sized Mixing Bowl, add AP Flour, Kosher Salt, and Granulated Sugar. Mix together with a fork
3. Using the bench knife, slice the cold butter into 1 inch cubes and add to the Medium Mixing Bowl
4. Using your hands, press each cube of butter once, so it breaks into 3-4 smaller pieces
5. Toss the butter cubes in the flour to coat evenly
6. Drizzle the water and sour cream mixture evenly over the flour and using your hands, gently toss to combine. It will not look like dough at this point
7. Pour the contents of the bowl onto a table
8. Using your hands, press the pieces of dough together into a small rectangle. Use the bench knife to divide in half and stack onto top of each other. Continue pressing down/rolling out down into a rectangle, using a rolling pin as needed, and then cutting dough in half and stacking, until a dough is formed. This will take between 3 and 8 times, depending on the dough
9. Once a dough has formed, wrap gently in plastic wrap. Then using the rolling pin, roll dough out into the plastic wrap to eliminate cracks along the side and bring the dough together
10. Chill dough overnight

Pie Dough Baking Instructions

Ingredients

Egg Yolk - 1 each/20 Grams

Equipment Needed

• Rolling Pin
• 9” Pie Dish
• Fork
• 9 x 13 sheet tray
• Parchment Paper
• Baking Weights
• Dusting Flour
• Small Mixing Bowl
• Small Whisk
• Pastry Brush

Instructions for Rolling and Blind Baking Pie Dough

1. Lightly dust work surface with flour
2. Remove pie dough from plastic wrap place on work surface, dusting top with flour
3. Using the rolling pin, start from the center of the dough and press out. Do both top and bottom and then rotate a ¼ turn. Continue rolling the dough out and ¼ turning until dough has reached a 16’ circle
4. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and then transfer to the pie dish, centering the dough
5. Gently press the dough into the bottom. Lifting the sides of the dough and pressing into the bottom edges of the pie pan. You do not want to stretch the dough that is on the bottom of the pan to fit into the corners. You want to take the dough that is going up the sides of the pan and gently press that dough down into the corners. This will help reduce tears/holes in pie dough
6. Once dough has been pressed into bottom on pie dish, gently press into sides of pie dish
7. Cut dough that is overhanging, leaving 1” around the edge of pie dish
8. Fold the extra pie dough underneath the pie dough of the rim and press together
9. Crimp pie dough as desired
10. With a fork, dock the bottom and sides of pie crust
11. Put pie crust in the fridge for 30 minutes
12. Heat oven to 350F
13. Remove pie crust from fridge and cover with parchment paper. Filled pie shell with pie weights. Place on sheet tray
14. Cook pie crust for about 30-45 minutes, depending on your oven. The edges of the pie dough be gently golden brown
15. Remove pie from oven and remove baking weights and parchment paper
16. Return the pie shell to the oven and finish baking. This should take between 20-30 minutes, depending on the oven. The pie shell should be nicely browned evenly
17. Right before the pie comes out of the oven, separate the egg yolk from the egg white and place the egg yolk in the small mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. When the pie comes out of the oven, using the pastry brush, brush the egg yolk on the inside of the pie crust. The heat of the pie will cook the egg yolk and the egg will keep the crust crispy when we add the custard filling
18. Let chill to room temperature before using

Lemon Custard Pie Instructions

Makes 1300 Grams Custard - Fits 1 each 9 inch x 2 inch pie dish

Ingredients

• Heavy Cream - 920 Grams
• Honey - 255 Grams
• Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt - 2 Grams
• Lemon Juice - 160 Grams

Equipment Needed

• 1 Fully Baked Pie Shell
• Small Pot
• Small Whisk
• Small Cup

Instructions for Lemon Custard

1. Measure Heavy Cream, Honey, and Salt into a small pot and whisk together
2. Measure Lemon Juice into small cup
3. Heat Heavy Cream, Honey, and Salt over medium heat until just boiling. 
4. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Let stand 10 mins
5. Gently pour custard into the pie shell. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes
6. Transfer pie to fridge overnight

Suggested Garnish once custard has set

• Meringue
• Candied Lemon
• Toasted Nuts
• Micro Herbs or Micro Flowers
• Honeycomb