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Filipino egg pie
Baked custard pie
Deep custard pie with a browned top
Walk into a neighbourhood panaderya in Manila or Cebu in the afternoon and there is usually a round egg pie on the counter, sold by the slice for merienda. It is a deep, creamy custard of eggs and evaporated milk in a short, buttery crust, and its trademark is the top: some of the egg whites float up during baking and turn into a speckled brown skin. Eat it at room temperature or chilled, with a mug of coffee or a cold soft drink. Baking it too hot is the classic error, since it makes the custard puff, crack and weep. Chef's tip: beat the eggs gently with a fork rather than a whisk, so you don't whip in air; the fewer bubbles, the silkier the custard and the darker the top.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the crust
- 7 oz plain flour
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 oz unsalted buttercold, cubed
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tbsp cold water
For the custard
- 5 eggs
- 1 ½ cups evaporated milk1 can
- ½ cup whole milk
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp lemon or calamansi zest (optional)finely grated
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Rub 4 oz unsalted butter into 7 oz plain flour, 1 tbsp caster sugar and ¼ tsp salt until it looks like breadcrumbs. Mix 1 egg yolk with 3 tbsp cold water, add and press into a dough. Flatten, wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
25 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan). Roll out the pastry and line a 22 cm pie dish, 4 cm deep, crimping the edge above the rim. Prick the base and chill for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 3: Line with baking paper and baking beans and blind-bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for 5 minutes more, until the base looks dry and pale gold.
20 minStep 4: Turn the oven down to 325°F (300°F fan).
Step 5: Stir 5 ½ oz caster sugar into 1 ½ cups evaporated milk and ½ cup whole milk until dissolved. Add 5 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract and ½ tsp lemon or calamansi zest, if using, and mix gently with a fork until just combined. Pour through a sieve into a jug.
4 minStep 6: Set the pie dish on the oven shelf and pour in the custard almost to the top of the crust.
Step 7: Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the top is speckled golden brown and the custard is set at the edges with a slight wobble in the centre. A knife slipped in halfway between edge and centre should come out clean.
43 minStep 8: Cool for at least 1 hour; the centre finishes setting as it cools. Slice and serve at room temperature, or chill and eat within 3 days.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does filipino egg pie take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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