Earl Grey Sugar Pie

Ingredients

• 375 g All-Purpose Flour
• Pinch of Salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 225 g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 240 g cold water
• 1 cup ice
• 60 g Apple cider vinegar
• 240 g whole milk
• 300 g heavy cream
• 25 g loose leaf earl grey tea
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 150 g sugar
• 50 g brown sugar
• 60 g all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Place flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut butter into chunks, and add to the flour. Toss lightly to coat. Working quickly, using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until there are only large pea-sized chunks left. You want a few lumps of butter remaining to keep the pastry nice and tender.

2. 2

   Combine ice, water and cider vinegar in a bowl. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the ice water into the flour and butter mixture, and using a stiff spatula or your hands, mix in well. Continue adding water a tablespoon at a time ( I normally need about 8-10 tbsp) until you have a dough that holds together well, but is not too wet. Squeeze together with your fingertips to make a homogenous dough. Shape into two discs, one slightly larger than the other, and wrap in plastic wrap. Rest in the fridge for at least two hours, or preferably overnight. (See notes for rolling out dough during resting period)

3. 3

   Once the dough has rested, unwrap and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/4” (6mm) in thickness, turning the dough 45˚ often as you are rolling to keep it even. You want the circle to be slightly larger than your pie tin. Transfer to a 9” pie tin, and arrange to ensure that the dough is well settled.

4. 4

   Trim the dough using scissors or a sharp knife, leaving about one inch excess around the edges. Gently tuck the dough under and onto itself, to give you a neat folded edge. Chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, then remove from the fridge and crimp as desired. Dock all over with the tines of a fork, then chill for a further 30 minutes, or freeze for 20 minutes or until solid.

5. 5

   While the crust is in the fridge, preheat the oven to 425˚f / 220˚c. Cut a piece of parchment slightly larger than the pie dish. Brush the crimped edge with egg wash, then line with the parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans, filling right to the bottom of the crimps.

6. 6

   Place the pie tin on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper and beans, and bake for a further 4-6 minutes or until the crust looks set and is beginning to turn golden.

7. 7

   Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 375˚f / 190˚c.

8. 8

   --- FILLING ---

9. 9

   Place the milk and cream in a small pot. Heat over medium heat until just shy of a simmer - you want to see bubbles around the edge of the milk. Remove from the heat, and add the tea. Cover, and allow to steep for 15 minutes.

10. 10

    Strain the tea from the milk mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing down to extract as much as possible. Weigh the infused milk mixture, and top up to 540g using equal parts cream and milk. Add vanilla and mix to combine. Set aside to cool slightly.

11. 11

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, flour and salt. Add the milk mixture and mix to combine - do not over whisk as you want the mixture as bubble free as possible. Tap the bowl a few times on the work surface to remove any bubbles in the mix.

12. 12

    Place the pie tin on a baking sheet, then pour the filling into the cooled pie crust, popping any large bubbles with a toothpick, or very very briefly running the flame of a blow torch over the surface.

13. 13

    Bake the pie at 375˚f /190˚c for 30 to 35 minutes until the edges of the filling are set, but the pie is ever so slightly wobbly still in the centre. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

14. 14

    Dust with powdered sugar before serving.