French-Canadian Sugar Pie

Tarte au Sucre

Sugar pie, or tarte au sucre, is a classic French-Canadian dessert and one that I became very familiar with during my years working in university catering.

The filling is simple: a rich brown sugar custard baked inside a buttery pastry crust. Once baked, the filling becomes smooth and creamy with a deep caramel-like flavor.

At my previous job, sugar pie was always popular. For large university catering events, we sometimes baked as many as 700 or more individual sugar pies. They disappeared quickly whenever we put them out in the cafeteria.

I still remember our head chef passing through the hot bakery on his way back to his office and wrapping up a few sugar pies to take with him. That always told me everything I needed to know about how the batch turned out.

It may be a simple dessert, but a good sugar pie is difficult to resist.

Why I Still Make It

What I like about sugar pie is that it doesn't need elaborate decoration or many ingredients. The pastry provides a crisp, buttery contrast to the soft brown sugar filling.

It's also a recipe that connects my professional baking experience in Canada with the recipes I now make at home.

After baking hundreds of individual versions at work, I still enjoy making a full-size sugar pie to share with family and friends.

Supplies:

• Mixing bowl medium size or stand mixer

• Food processor

• Spatula

• Whisk

• Rolling pin

• tart mold or tin pie shell

• Scale

• Baking tray

French-Canadian Sugar Pie

Bake: 350°F (175°C), approximately 40 minutes

Ingredients: 

Pie Shell: The dough can be prepared a day before, Keep it cold in the fridge roll out and bake on the next day. 

Sweet Pie Crust

• 400g all-purpose flour

• 200g unsalted butter

• 200g granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2g baking powder (about ½ tsp)

• ¼ tsp salt

Prepare the Pie Crust

1. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and butter in a food processor. Pulse only a few times, until the butter is broken into fine crumbs.

   You can also prepare the dough by hand, rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

2. Add the eggs and mix just until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the pastry.

3. Roll the chilled dough to approximately ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, or slightly thinner if preferred.

4. Line the tart or pie mold with the dough and trim the edges.

5. Refrigerate the prepared shell until cold and firm before adding the filling.

Make-Ahead Note

The pastry dough can be prepared one day ahead. Wrap well and refrigerate overnight, then roll and shape the crust the following day.Pie Filling:

Brown Sugar Custard Filling

• 700g brown sugar

• 35g all-purpose flour

• 340ml 35% heavy cream

• 354ml evaporated milk (1 can)

• 3 large eggs

Steps

1. Place the brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour and mix thoroughly, using your fingers or a whisk to break apart any lumps. Mixing the flour with the sugar first helps prevent the flour from clumping when the liquids are added.

2. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs.

3. Add the eggs and evaporated milk to the brown sugar mixture. Mix until well combined.

4. Add the 35% cream and mix gently until the filling is smooth.

5. If using an immersion blender, blend only briefly and keep the blade below the surface to avoid incorporating too much air.

6. Pour the filling into the cold prepared pie shell.

7. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for approximately 40 minutes.

8. The pie is ready when the edges are set but the center still jiggles gently like jelly.

9. Allow the pie to cool completely before removing it from the mold. The filling will continue to set as it cools.

Why the Filling Is So Creamy

The combination of evaporated milk and 35% cream gives this sugar pie its rich, creamy texture. The flour and eggs provide enough structure for the brown sugar custard to set while remaining soft after baking.

Enjoy yummy sugar pie !