6 Egg yolks
1/2 c White sugar
2 c Heavy cream
1 1/2 ts Vanilla extract
1 Baked 8-inch pie shell
2 c Sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 c Light brown sugar
Mix egg yolks and white sugar; set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat cream
to almost boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Gradually add
heated cream to yolk-and-sugar mixture, whisking thoroughly. Return to
saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until custard
thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into
custard cups (see Note).
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Custard is done when a knife
inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes. Cover with wax paper and
refrigerate for 24 hours. Spread 1/3 of the custard in the bottom of a
baked 8-inch pie shell. Layer strawberries over custard. Top with remaining
custard, sealing fruit in.
Preheat broiler. Sift brown sugar over custard. Cover edges of pastry with
aluminum foil. Place pie as close to broiler as possible. Broil for 1 1/2
minutes until sugar is melted but not burned. Watch carefully. Remove from
broiler and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Note: If you don’t have custard cups, use a muffin pan with at least 9
spaces. Place the filled muffin pan in a large sheet-cake pan containing
one inch of water.
Yields
8 Servings