Orange cream pie with quick blackberry compote
Instructions:
- Pie:
- 1 (9-inch) pie shell;
- 1 cup sugar;
- 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest;
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch;
- 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt;
- 5 large egg yolks;
- 1⁄2 cup fresh orange juice;
- 2 cups whole milk;
- 4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces and chilled;
- 1⁄2 teaspoon Fiori Di Sicilia extract or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.
- Compote:
- 1 cup seedless blackberry or red currant jelly;
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur;
- 2 cups fresh whole blackberries.
- For the pie: Bake and cool the pie shell.
- Combine the sugar and orange zest in a medium bowl. Use fingertips to rub them together until the sugar is moist and grainy. Whisk in the cornstarch and salt. Whisk in the egg yolks, followed by the orange juice.
- Warm the milk in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. As soon as the milk begins to steam and form small bubbles around the edge, whisk it into the sugar mixture in a slow, steady stream. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring slowly and continuously with a heat-proof spatula, until it comes to a boil and is thick enough to coat the back of the spatula, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter one piece at a time, waiting until it is incorporated before adding the next. Whisk in the Fiori Di Sicilia. Strain the filling through a mesh sieve into the pie shell. Press plasticwrap directly onto the surface of the filling and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
- For the compote: Melt the jelly in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in the liqueur, if using. Add the berries and stir gently to coat.
- Serve the pie slightly chilled, topped with the compote.
- What else works? You can replace the blackberries with other fresh berries or a mixture of berries. Change the jelly to match the berry or use red currant jelly, which goes with everything.