Salty Honey Pie

I have this little "if I won the lottery fantasy" where I move to an amazingly gorgeous house in my absolute favorite place in the country, New Mexico (somewhere in between Albuquerque and Santa Fe).  And just to have something to do, I open a little pie shop/cafe.  I even have a name for my imaginary store.  Part of this fantasy (and because I am just a touch crazy) means I am constantly thinking of things I would add to my menu....tasty soups, salads and sandwiches.  And of course, pie.  

The other week I went to a wine tasting that served little bites to accompany the drinks at a local family restaurant and this was the finale.  It totally knocked my socks off.  I mean, it combined three of my favorite flavors...sweet, salty, and pie.  What's not to love?

After having it, I was determined to be able to recreate it.  I found this recipe online and got to work, using B's family as my guinnea pigs.  And they loved me for it.

This one is definitely a lottery-fantasy pie shop staple.

Salty Honey Pie

Makes 1 9-inch pie

1 unbaked pie crust

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

2 TB white cornmeal

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup honey

2 tsp white vinegar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

1/2 cup cream

1-2 TB flaked sea salt

1.  Heat oven to 350.  Press pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and prick the bottom all over with a fork.  

2.  In a large bowl, using a whisk or an electric mixer, combine sugar, butter, corn meal, and salt until it is thick and paste-like.  Add the honey, vanilla, and vinegar and beat to mix well.  Beat in the eggs, one at at a time until fully combined and mix until lightened.  Mix in the cream.  Pour into the prepared pie shell and bake 45-50 minutes, until just set (center may still be a little jiggly). Let cool and then sprinkle with sea salt flakes for garnish.

Note:  my pie got pretty brown, I think covering it with foil after baking 1/2 the time would help this...if anyone makes this and tries this, let me know how it turns out.

Also, unfortunately we were all to busy stuffing our pie-holes to get a picture of this cut....you will just have to trust me that underneath that delicious brown top is a pale yellow, creamy custard.