Happy day-before-Thanksgiving! I know I’m not alone in saying that Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays of the year. My extended family gets together for an eat-stravaganza that includes a turkey (of course), a whole roast suckling pig, ham, sides of all sorts, and a dessert buffet. I hadn’t been able to attend for the past few years because I was in Missouri, but now I am back in NYC! And I can’t wait!!
Every year, one of the most requested recipes is the salted caramel pie – in fact, it is one of the most visited pages on the Big Apple Nosh blog! And with good reason – not only is the pie super simple to make, but it is AMAZING. I’m actually deviating from this old standby this year and making a dark chocolate salted caramel pie. Stay tuned for how that turns out! But in the mean time, I am proud to once again endorse this fool-proof, crowd pleasing recipe. As shared in previous years…
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!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
