Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (2024)

By veganlovlie 6 Comments

The custard pie rests among the much sought-after favourite with the wide range of decadent patisserie that fashions the customary Mauritian tea-time culture. An afternoon cup of tea or a 3pm snack would bring pastries, pies and cakes au rendez-vous, more promptly than an after dinner treat.

Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (1)

As I was crafting a vegan version of this custard pie, my favourite sweet bites took me back to the classic days of my childhood and young adulthood. A selection of patisserie was as much a marvel as it was a delicacy for a well-deserved after-school snack.

After finishing university and back in the country, I realised how much I had missed my little sweet ritual. Whether I was working or not, tea time would never be quite complete without a few morsels of my favourite pastries and cakes which happened to be the banana pie and the black forest gâteau. Custard pie was not among the top of my list, although for variety, I would sometimes grab a tartlet.

A delicately fragrant, vanilla custard set into a plain crust with buttery undertones, the Mauritian custard tart is cause for delight for its simplicity.

Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (2)

With my weakness for extrinsic combinations, I decided to gratify the vanilla coconut-milk-based custard with a topping of fresh pears rubbed with a slice of lemon then brushed with a lush coating of tangy strawberry jam. My choice of pear this time is the Abate Fetel variety which has a rich sweetness with an aromatic honey note. The texture is firm yet smooth — just heavenly when baked. They are a little pricier than other pears but so worth it. Bartlett, Anjou, Conference or Bosc varieties are certainly good to use too though.

Enhancing without overwhelming the delicate taste, texture and aroma of the coconut-vanilla custard, these sweet Abate Fetel pears imparts additional flavour and another layer of juicy custardy texture. With just the right hint of tartness from the lemon and strawberry, this pie is certainly no sloth when it comes to fresh fruity and floral notes — quite delightful to think what putting together some simple ingredients can produce.

As for the crust, I’ve used my oil-based pie crust recipe, which is my go-to recipe for whenever I need shortcrust pastry in a recipe. It’s light and flaky and much easier to handle than when using vegan butter.

Vegan Pear Custard Pie

Watch the recipe video and see the procedures in action.

Yield: 1 pie 24-cm or 9-inch diameter

Vegan Pear Custard Pie with Oil-based Pie Crust

Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (3)

An easy vegan custard pie recipe with a topping for fresh pears for an additional layer of custardy goodness. Enjoy as dessert or with an afternoon tea as is customary in Mauritius.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 block of pie crust or you can use my recipe for the oil-based shortcrust pastry

Custard

  • 500 ml homemade coconut milk, or one store-bought can + 100 ml water
  • 5 tablespoons cornstarch, or vegan custard powder
  • 150 ml water
  • 70 g sugar, [1/3 cup]
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder, or a few drops of yellow food colouring. Omit if using custard powder that already contains colouring

Pear filling

  • 3 pears, I used Abate Fetel variety. Bartlett or any type of dessert pears are also suitable
  • 1-2 slices of lemon
  • Strawberry jam, or other jam of choice

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
  2. Peel the pears then rub them with the lemon. Cut the pears in half. Remove the seeds and inner stem. Then slice the pears across but do not disturb the slices. Set the pears aside.
  3. Place the pie crust in the oven and bake for 10 minutes only.
  4. Meanwhile, make the custard.
  5. Place coconut milk in a saucepan on medium heat.
  6. Add in the vanilla and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
  7. In a small jug or cup, mix the cornstarch with 150 ml water. Add the turmeric powder and mix well.
  8. Add this mixture to the coconut milk while stirring constantly.
  9. The mixture will thicken considerably very quickly. You may lower the heat if the mixture is becoming lumpy and mix it more vigorously.
  10. It will take about 7 - 10 minutes for the custard to reach the desired consistency. It should not be a runny custard but rather thick. It will thicken further upon baking.
  11. The thicker the custard is, the firmer the resulting texture of the pie will be.
  12. Remove the crust from the oven.
  13. Pour the custard into crust. Smooth it out lightly.
  14. Arrange the pears on top and lightly press them into the custard.
  15. Brush the pears with a little strawberry jam. You may want to dilute the jam with a little water first if it is too thick.
  16. Put the pie back in oven and allow to bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the pears are lightly caramelised and crispy on top.

Notes

The pears will release some juice but this will thicken into a caramel consistency once out of the oven and cooled.

For the crust, you may use this:

Flaky oil-based shortcrust pastry recipe -https://veganlovlie.com/oil-based-vegan-shortcrust-pastry/

Link to original recipe -Vegan Pear Custard Pie -https://veganlovlie.com/vegan-pear-custard-tart-pie/

Did you make this recipe?

Tag us @veganlovlie #veganlovlie on Instagram, we love seeing what you're making!

Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (4)
Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (5)

Previous Post: « Oil-based Vegan Shortcrust Pastry Recipe (No Butter / Margarine)

Next Post: Homemade Coconut Milk | Vegan Non-Dairy Milk Substitute »

Reader Interactions

You might also enjoy these...

Vegan Butternut Squash Gratin with Kamut Berries

Sweet Yellow Rice à l’Ananas et Noix de Coco

15 Yummy Vegan Eggplant Recipes (Vegan Aubergine Recipes)


Comments

  1. Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (10)karen says

    Can I make this with apples instead? And, if so, is there anything that I should do differently?

    Reply

    • Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (11)veganlovlie says

      Apples work perfectly for this recipe. No need to change anything, just swap them in. 🙂

      Reply

  2. Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (12)Hadassa says

    Hello,

    Could i use arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch in this recipe? Thank you.

    Reply

    • Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (13)veganlovlie says

      Hi Hadassa, yes you can use arrowroot in this recipe but I suggest to reduce the amount to 3 tablespoons as arrowroot is stronger than cornstarch.

      Reply

  3. Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (14)sbao says

    This looks like exactly what I’m looking for. Do you know whether I can make it a day ahead?

    Reply

  4. Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (15)Marcella Bove-Huttie says

    Everything about this video is enchanting. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Custard Pie with Pear and Oil-based Pie Crust - Simple Vegan Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a custard pie filling made of? ›

Combine sugar, milk, melted butter, flour, vanilla, and nutmeg in a large bowl; mix well. Beat in eggs until well blended. Pour filling into partially baked pie shell. Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes.

Why is my custard pie runny? ›

An undercooked custard may initially appear thick but will slowly turn to soup as the amylase enzyme attacks the starch and breaks the custard down, usually as it sits under refrigeration. A good guideline is to cook for 1 to 2 minutes after bubbles appear in the custard, stirring constantly.

Why is it called a custard pie? ›

The word "custard" derives from crustade (a pie with a crust), or from croustade (an edible container of savoury food). After the 16th century, custards began to be used in individual dishes rather than as a filling in crusts. Today, custards are used as filling in pies and tarts, and as individual dishes.

What is the thickener commonly used in custard pies? ›

Many custard recipes/formulas use cornstarch as the thickening agent. The amount of liquid a starch grain can attract (absorb) and how concentrated the starch grains are in the liquid affect the thickness of the final product.

What are the 3 types of custard and their ingredients? ›

There are three main varieties of custard: baked custard, stirred custard, and steamed custard. The first two are both popular in Western cuisine. Baked custard is typically firmer and made with whole eggs, while stirred custards can be much runnier and often only contain the yolks.

Why does my custard pie taste like scrambled eggs? ›

Why does my egg custard pie taste like scrambled eggs? Overbaked custard can lead to an eggy flavor and rubbery consistency. Make sure to bake the custard pie until slightly jiggly in the center. It will continue to set as it cools.

How do you thicken custard pie filling? ›

Using a Thickening Agent

For 1 cup (240 mL) of custard, use 2 tablespoons (17 g) of flour mixed with 4 tablespoons (59 mL) of cold water. Add the mixture into your custard ingredients as they cook on the stove. Use cornstarch as an alternative to flour. Cornstarch, like flour, requires cold water as a mixing agent.

What is another name for a custard pie? ›

Chess Pie: Just Custard Pie by Another Name – Grub Americana.

What is the difference between a cream pie filling and a custard pie filling? ›

The difference is how the filling comes together: a custard filling is usually baked, while a cream pie filling is not. But we're not here to be fastidious, so you'll spot a few custard pies in the collection below—we promise they'll satisfy just as well whenever a cream pie craving hits.

Why is it called crack pie? ›

Tosi originally named the dessert Crack Pie for its addictive qualities, but changed it to Milk Bar Pie in 2019 after the name was criticized as insensitive.

What's the difference between pudding and custard filling? ›

While most custard and pudding recipes both typically call for eggs, the main difference is that pudding uses a starch for thickening, whereas custard's thickening agent is the egg itself (or egg yolk, in most instances). Custard's texture also tends to be firmer than pudding.

What's the difference between pastry cream and custard? ›

Put simply, pastry cream is a type of custard. Adding cornstarch to the vanilla custard will give you a thick, firm substance (almost like vanilla pudding) that will hold its shape when piped. Custard that you can pour, which is only thickened with eggs, is actually called crème anglaise.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Reed Wilderman

Last Updated:

Views: 6280

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (52 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Reed Wilderman

Birthday: 1992-06-14

Address: 998 Estell Village, Lake Oscarberg, SD 48713-6877

Phone: +21813267449721

Job: Technology Engineer

Hobby: Swimming, Do it yourself, Beekeeping, Lapidary, Cosplaying, Hiking, Graffiti

Introduction: My name is Reed Wilderman, I am a faithful, bright, lucky, adventurous, lively, rich, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.