Bruléed Buttermilk Pie with Maple Syrup and Tipsy Mince

(inspired by Bon Appetit Nov. 1991 and Harrods Cookery Book)

1- 9” pre-baked Pate Brisée pie shell (my pie plate measures 9½ “ by 1½“)

(a hand-held kitchen torch for melting the sugar)

Tipsy Mince (this yields about 3 cups; the pie uses 1½ cups leaving the remainder to eat over ice cream, to fill hand pies, or to eat with a spoon when no one is looking.)

3 cups peeled, chopped Granny Smith apples
2 ripe pears, preferably Bosc, peeled and chopped
½ cup chopped dried apricots

½ cup dried sour cherries
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup chopped dried figs
1 tablespoon minced candied ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup dark brown sugar
1½ cups apple cider
½ cup Scotch
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1 cup walnuts, chopped

In a medium stockpot, stir to combine the fresh fruit, dried fruit, candied ginger, spices, brown sugar, apple cider, Scotch and zests. Cook over medium heat until the mixture boils, reduce to simmer, cover the stockpot and cook for about one hour, until the mixture thickens. (You will need to stir the mince periodically as it cooks so it doesn’t stick.) Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped walnuts and cool the mixture completely before refrigerating it. Best to prepare this at least a day prior to baking your pie.

Buttermilk Pie with Maple Syrup

3 large eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 oz. unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup pure fresh maple syrup  (I used Grade A Dark Amber)
1 cup buttermilk
½ vanilla bean, split and scraped or 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1½ cups Tipsy Mince

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, flour and maple syrup until well mixed. Beat in the buttermilk, alternating with the melted butter. Add the vanilla, the zests and the lemon juice.  Set the pre-baked pie shell on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover the edges of the crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent them from getting too brown. Using an offset spatula, gently spread the 1½ cups of mince in the bottom of the pie shell. Carefully pour the buttermilk filling over the mince. (Some of the fruit may float to the top- not to worry.) Place the pie in the pre-heated oven and bake for 45 minutes. The filling should be golden and the center should be just the slightest bit jiggly. Set on a wire rack to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours before adding the brulée topping.

How to Brulée the pie-

Grease a sheet of aluminum foil and place it on a baking pan. Set aside.
In a heavy bottomed high-sided saucepan, melt one cup of granulated sugar over low heat until it caramelizes. (Don’t turn your back on the sugar or walk away; that is when the sugar will burn.) The color should be close to the color of maple syrup, amber. Outfit your hand in an oven mitt and carefully pour the sugar on top of the greased aluminum foil. Let the sugar harden completely. When it is cool, break the sugar into pieces. Place the pieces of caramelized sugar into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulverize the sugar and transfer to a small bowl. Remove the plastic wrap from the pie and use a paper towel to remove any moisture that may have collected on top of the pie. Sprinkle the pulverized sugar evenly over the pie and have a go at it with your handheld torch. (If you don’t have a torch, I suppose you can melt the sugar on top of the pie in an oven set to ‘Broil’ but it’s not nearly as dramatic; unless things go horribly awry in the oven. Invest in the torch- it’s well worth it.)