![Lemon Cream Pie With Honey and Ginger](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/11/09/multimedia/09piesrex4-lemon-cpjw/09piesrex4-lemon-cpjw-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Two-Tone Ginger Custard Pie
![Two-Tone Ginger Custard Pie](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/11/14/dining/14Two-tone-ginger-custard-pie/14Two-tone-ginger-custard-pie-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus chilling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- Perfect Pie Crust, prepared for a custard pie and chilled
- ⅔cup/135 grams granulated sugar
- 1cup/130 grams all-purpose flour
- ⅔cup/145 grams light brown sugar
- 1tablespoon ground ginger
- ½teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon ground clove
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1¾cups/420 milliliters whole milk
- 1cup/240 milliliters heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Egg wash (1 large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
- 1ounce/28 grams freeze-dried mango
- 1ounce/28 grams freeze-dried strawberries
- ¼ cup/30 grams confectioners’ sugar
For the Pie
For the Topping
Preparation
- Step 1
On a lightly floured surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out a disk of dough into a circle about ¼-inch thick. Starting at one end, gently roll up the dough onto the rolling pin. Unfurl the dough over a 9-inch pie plate, preferably ceramic, and press it in lightly, making sure it’s lining the plate.
- Step 2
Trim so that there’s about ½ inch of excess dough hanging over the edge of the pie plate. (If the dough feels warm, refrigerate it for 15 minutes.) Tuck the excess dough under itself so it is flush with the edge of the pie plate; leave the pie like this for a straight-edge finish, or crimp as desired. Dock the base and sides all over with a fork and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours.
- Step 3
Place a rack on the bottom shelf of the oven, and place a baking stone, if you have one, on the rack. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Use a small brush to evenly paint egg wash on the edge of the crust. Cut a square of parchment paper and use it to line the crust. Fill with pie weights (or dried beans) up to the top edge. Place the plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil.
- Step 4
Transfer the baking sheet to the oven, placing it directly on the baking stone if using. Bake crust until the outer edge is just starting to turn golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights, and continue to bake until the base appears set, 2 to 4 minutes more. If the dough puffs up anywhere, you can puncture it with a fork. Cool the crust completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- Step 5
Make the filling: Whisk the granulated sugar and flour in a medium bowl to combine. Add the brown sugar and whisk to combine, breaking up clumps with the whisk or your fingers. Add the ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and salt and whisk to combine.
- Step 6
Add the milk, cream and vanilla and whisk well to combine. Transfer the pie plate to the prepared baking sheet. Pour the custard into the crust.
- Step 7
Transfer the baking sheet back to the oven, placing it directly on the baking stone if using. Bake until the crust is evenly golden brown and the custard appears set around the outer edge, 43 to 48 minutes; the center of the pie may still be jiggly, like pumpkin pie or cheesecake, but it will firm up as it cools. Let pie cool completely at room temperature on a rack.
- Step 8
Make the topping: Use a food processor to grind the freeze-dried mango into a fine powder, or seal it in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Transfer to a small bowl, and whisk in 2 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar. Wipe out the food processor or use another plastic bag and repeat with the freeze-dried strawberries. Transfer to a small bowl, and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar.
- Step 9
Place an 8 ½-by-11-inch piece of paper over the surface of the pie, leaving half of it exposed. Use a small sifter to sift the mango sugar onto the exposed surface of the pie. Carefully remove the paper, then cover the part of the pie sprinkled with mango sugar. Tap out the small sifter and use it to sift the strawberry sugar over the other side. Carefully remove the paper. If you like, brush any excess powder off the crust. (Save the remaining sugar in airtight containers for another use, such as dusting on baked goods.) It’s best to apply the sugar within 2 hours of serving. The pie is best eaten the day it’s made; store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
To get some of the sugar in every slice, make a center circle of one sugar and an outer circle of the other sugar. Or get even fancier and make alternating rings of the sugars -- creating a bulls-eye effect.
Concerned about the comments about a rubbery texture, I consulted my sister, a food scientist and excellent cook. She suggested I measure using a scale rather than use the cup measurements. I am not sure if that was the key, but everyone agreed it was a wonderful pie, both taste and texture! I will definitely make it again.
Jan: Not sure if this will help but a Hoosier Cream (milk) Pie has only 2 Tbsp of flour to 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of milk/cream. I'm thinking maybe there is too much flour in this recipe? Unfortunately I haven't tried this pie, though.
I'm an experienced pie baker and followed this recipe to the letter. The pie turned out pretty, but it was no fun to eat. All the flavor came from the ground ginger, so it was powerful to the point of blunt. The custard had too much flour, resulting in a gummy heaviness--the opposite of what you want after Thanksgiving dinner.
Sadly, I must echo the comments that describe an inedible, rubbery mess. The texture of the custard is just so off. It was a lot of effort that yielded my first epic baking failure. Luckily, I had two other desserts to serve for the end of an otherwise lovely family holiday meal.
followed recipe exactly, except used our typical pie crust recipe. I liked this pie--not a showstopper, but the custard has a nice texture and flavor. It reminded me of pumpkin pie. Everyone liked it, and it was easy to make. solid 4 stars.
Terrible. Did anyone try this before including it in this collection? Tastes like badly spiced rubber!
Absolutely awful
I had gluten free people coming so I used a store bought gluten-free pie crust and made this. My overall reaction is that it is just not that great a pie! I made a good custard with gluten free flour, it as nice etc but the fruit felt sort of weird with the warm spice flavors. The decor was a hit and Instagram-worthy but overall I have to say the verdict was that it was a bit meh. And quite a lot of work! Not worth it IMHO.
Sadly, I chose this for our family's ultimate pie contest before reading the appalling reviews about the rubbery, eraser-like texture. As I mixed and read, my spirits sank. I knew I would lose the contest. I added an egg white and tried to whip peaks, but got none. However, perhaps due to low expectations or the egg, it was actually a pleasing pie. The name is misleading. It's nothing like custard. I would describe it as a pumpkin pie, except gingery. I won't win, but I'm not embarrassed by it.
I am surprised to see so many negative notes on this recipie as we absolutely LOVE it and now make it each Christmas Day! I've found the issue I'm still working on is to figure out the right amount of time to cook it, so the crust doesn't become too crispy while the filling finishes (and I do cover the pie edges while baking). The spice mix reminds me of gingerbread and all things holiday. Yes, the texture is not an exact traditional custard but a cousin. We no longer do the fruit topping.
This is the worst recipe I’ve ever made from NYTimes cooking. We are not a family that casually wastes food, but we ended up throwing half of this pie in the garbage. Calling this dessert a PSL Pie would better represent the spirit of the dish. Like a Pumpkin Spice Latte it has all the pumpkin spices-cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger-but no pumpkin. Using the word custard in the title feels wrong as there is no egg, just lots of gluten-y flour.
I also did not fully read the comments and my sister and I tried to make this and it was definitely stodgy. I think the flour was too much
I’m very glad I read the comments and made a half-sized trial batch before serving with a Thanksgiving meal. This was not a good custard pie. I weighed ingredients & followed recipe precisely (adjusting baking time for reduced volume) and it was still an unpleasant, dense, gummy texture and the spice ratios seemed off (too much clove). Powdered fruit sugar looked good but was overpowered by spices. I had been hoping for something creamy and ginger-y. This did not happen.
Sadly, I chose this for our family's ultimate pie contest before reading the appalling reviews about the rubbery, eraser-like texture. As I mixed and read, my spirits sank. I knew I would lose the contest. I added an egg white and tried to whip peaks, but got none. However, perhaps due to low expectations or the egg, it was actually a pleasing pie. The name is misleading. It's nothing like custard. I would describe it as a pumpkin pie, except gingery. I won't win, but I'm not embarrassed by it.
Hello. I had trouble with this pie and it made me sad.
Was really excited to try this pie but it ended up being a hot mess...I screwed up the crust, which was my own fault, but then I thought at least the filling would be good. Boy was I wrong! The texture was absolutely awful. Very rubbery like others have commented. Flavor was just ok but I think I'll save myself the time and calories next time by just eating a spoonful of ground ginger. Anyone else have problems with the custard bubbling up and ruining the clear, flat look on the top?
How is this a custard without any egg yolks ?
I made this pie for a Pi Day lunch at work. Having read the concerns about rubbery custard, I whipped the cream to soft peaks before I folded it into the rest of the ingredients. I got a light custard with a silky texture and good flavor.
I had gluten free people coming so I used a store bought gluten-free pie crust and made this. My overall reaction is that it is just not that great a pie! I made a good custard with gluten free flour, it as nice etc but the fruit felt sort of weird with the warm spice flavors. The decor was a hit and Instagram-worthy but overall I have to say the verdict was that it was a bit meh. And quite a lot of work! Not worth it IMHO.
I am in Portland (OR), home to the gluten-free and vegan crowd. Has anyone tried this using Cup 4 Cup or other gluten-free flour substitute? I made the pastry and have cheated and bought a gluten-free pie crust to try a GF version. All the reports of rubbery pie texture are making me nervous!!
Sadly, I must echo the comments that describe an inedible, rubbery mess. The texture of the custard is just so off. It was a lot of effort that yielded my first epic baking failure. Luckily, I had two other desserts to serve for the end of an otherwise lovely family holiday meal.
I added some chopped up crystallized ginger to the custard which pumped up the gingeriness but I agree, it is rather rubbery. I did make the toppings (they are what attracted me in the first place) but I wound up with 2x as much of each color than I needed so saved the extras for another day. Also too much filling. My book group liked it but I think an egg-based filling would be better.
In my opinion, there is too much flour and not enough ginger in this pie. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out tasting very bland. I may try again and tinker with the ratios. It needs a kick!
As someone said of the citrus custard pie published on the same day, we made a great batch of flusher.
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