Authentic Cream Pie Recipe United States of America, North America

The first step is to make the crust. In a medium bowl whisk flour, sugar, and salt, then add the cold butter that you’ve previously cut up in cubes. Work the butter into the flour mixture using your hands, until it starts to appear as breadcrumbs. Next, add three tablespoons of cold water and knead to form a dough, but do not overwork it. If the dough is perhaps still too crumbly, add one tablespoon of cold water. Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic, then place in the refrigerator anywhere from an hour to three days to cool.

Before rolling the dough, allow it to warm a bit at room temperature, then place it on a lightly-floured surface and roll into a 13-inch round. Butter or oil the pie plate and put the round of dough in, press into the bottom and crimp the edges decoratively. Bake in an oven preheated at 350 °F for 6-8 minutes; remove just as it begins to brown.

With an electric mixer whisk the egg whites, cream of tartar, cornstarch, and sugar until stiff peaks. Divide the meringue between three bowls and add to each a drop or two of food coloring, then gently fold in to incorporate.

In a large pot, combine condensed milk, vanilla, and cornstarch and whisk over medium-low heat until warm. Add a few teaspoons of the warmed milk to the yolks to temper them before you add them to the heated milk. Next, add the warmed yolk mixture to the milk and cook over medium-low heat while continuously mixing until it thickens into a custard.

Pour the prepared custard into the pie shell. Spoon the meringue in alternating layers of color into a pastry bag and pipe onto the pie. Bake for 14-16 minutes. Once the peaks of the meringue have browned, remove from the oven. Cool the pie to room temperature and serve.