New Hampshire Maple Syrup Pie
Submitted by nana
New Hampshire maple syrup pie with a silky maple custard filling and a maple-sweetened meringue topping browned until golden. A classic New England dessert that lets real maple syrup shine.
YIELD
1 piePREP
20 minCOOK
0 minREADY
1 hrsReal maple syrup does two jobs in this pie: it builds the custard filling and it sweetens the meringue that crowns it.
A cup of maple syrup simmers with water and butter, then gets tempered slowly into beaten egg yolks and cornstarch, returned to the heat and stirred until thick. The technique is standard custard-making, but the maple flavor that soaks into every spoonful is entirely its own thing.
The meringue is the part that makes this New Hampshire-specific. Egg whites beaten stiff with a tablespoon of maple syrup folded in create a topping that carries the same flavor from first bite to last, rather than just sweet white foam. Brown it in a hot oven until the peaks are golden, scatter chopped nuts over if you like, and serve at room temperature.
This is a dessert worth making when you have good-quality syrup. Light amber gives a more delicate flavor; dark robust gives depth.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine syrup, hot water and butter and bring to a boil.
Mix cornstarch, salt and enough cold water to make a thin paste, add egg yolks and beat well.
Add hot syrup mixture gradually, return to heat and cook untill thickened, stirring constantly.
Cool slightly. Pour into cooked pie shell.
Beat egg whites stiff, adding slowly the tablespoon of syrup.
Pile on pie and brown in hot oven.
Add chopped nut meats if desired to top.
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