Recipe: Salted Caramel Pie

I had previously mentioned that I made a salted caramel pie for the Pie Party Live potluck, and a few readers asked me to share the recipe – so here you are!  I first saw this recipe in my latest copy of Food & Wine magazine, who in turn was given the recipe from simplethings sandwich & pie shop in LA.  With only 7 ingredients and a minimum of steps, I know this pie had the potential to be easy and delicious.  And I was right!  It was so fun and exciting when a few foodie personalities I “knew” online came up to me during the party to tell me how much they liked the pie.  Would you like to try some salted caramel pie for your own? You won’t regret it!

You will need:

Salted Caramel Pie (recipe from simplethings restaurant)

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 5 ounces)
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• Two 14-oz cans sweetened condensed milk
• Fleur de sel
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tbsp confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and light brown sugar until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly into a 9-inch glass or metal pie plate. Bake for about 10 minutes, just until lightly browned. Let cool. Increase the oven temperature to 425°.

2. Scrape condensed milk into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish and sprinkle with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of fleur de sel. Cover dish with foil and place it in a roasting pan. Add enough hot water to the pan to reach one-third of the way up the side of the baking dish. Bake, lifting the foil to stir 2 or 3 times, until the condensed milk is golden and thickened, about 2 hours; add more water to the roasting pan as necessary. The consistency of the caramel should be like dulce de leche. Don’t worry if it is lumpy; it will smooth out as it chills.

3. Scrape the caramel filling into the pie crust, smoothing the top. Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with vegetable oil spray and cover the pie. Refrigerate until the filling is chilled and set, at least 4 hours.

4. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream with the confectioners’ sugar until firm. Remove the plastic. Mound the whipped cream on top of the pie and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Cut into wedges and serve.

This pie is extremely difficult to mess up and mouthwateringly scrumptious.  You can fill the pie crust with the caramel up to 5 days ahead, leaving it covered in the refrigerator.  Just make sure to whip the cream and add it right before serving. Enjoy!