BROWN, SUGAR, AND MAPLE SYRUP

IT'S JES' PIE

The following is a pie recipe that's just as smooth as the king of soul, found in the New York Times archives. I think it's similar to Maple Spice Pie or even a Southern specialty called Chess Pie, except you replace the sugar with maple syrup .

Nutmeg Maple Cream Pie

3/4 cup maple syrup

2 1/4 cups heavy cream

4 egg yolks

1 whole egg

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

9-inch par-baked pie crust or tart shell

1. Par-bake pie crust.
2. Preheat oven to 300º F. Prepare filling: in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce maple syrup by quarter, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream mixture to eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup or bowl with pouring spout. Stir in salt, nutmeg and vanilla.
4. Pour filling into crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pie is firm to touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature before serving.