Legends of Canadian Pastry: The Sugar Pie

The Sweet Canada: Domestic stamps series

This Thanksgiving weekend, consider ending your holiday feast with a dessert rooted in French culture. For the early settlers of Québec, brown sugar was rare, and it something needs to be sweet, maple syrup was the only available sweetener  While the tarte au sucre is a common pastry in France, the use of maple sugar or syrup is what gives the French-Canadian version its distinct taste. With the recipe below, you can quickly see why this treat has been enjoyed for centuries.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Ingredients

1 pre-made pie crust
(If you have a favourite homemade pie crust recipe, feel free to use it; if you need one, here's a good recipe.)
1 egg
375 mL amber maple syrup
125 mL 35% heavy cream
15 g cornstarch
15 g unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Adjust the rack in your oven to the lowest position.
2. Combine the cornstarch and flour in a bowl. Add the maple syrup and whisk until the mixture is smooth and the cornstarch has dissolved completely. Add the cream and egg. Whisk everything until smooth and pour into the prepared pie crust.
3. Bake for at least 45 minutes or until the filling has set. A good test is to shake the pie back and forth a bit. If the center is still liquid, it needs to bake some more. When shaking produces a movement that looks like soft pudding, it’s ready. Let cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.