Crack. I’m proud to say I’ve never tried the hard stuff. I’m also proud to say I’ve now tried the sweet stuff. As in, Momofuku’s Crack Pie. As in, one bite and the endorphin rush is so great that before you know it, you’ve finished off your entire slice and are wondering if it’s appropriate to go in for more. Sugar as crack.
The stars aligned in my favour one week when I was thinking about what to make for a small dinner party chez moi. Comfort food was at top of mind, especially Martha Stewart’s Perfect Macaroni and Cheese as I’ve wanted to try it for some time (and it was perfect). Low and behold, the Charlie Sheen saga started with his infamous interviews, and I had my theme: crack. Martha’s recipe has become affectionately known as “Crack’n’Cheese,” Charlie’s could-be-on-crack antics were on everyone’s lips, and last fall, Bon Appétit published the recipe for the well-known Momofuku pie. Perfect.
One of my favourite things about recipes on the internet is reviews. The more the better. For every five benign ones, you usually get a gem; telling you what went wrong and how to adjust. Well-known recipes are even better because you can usually find a blogger or two who’s posted the recipe with pictures so that you can get a sense of what it should look like. Or rather, what it looks like when it’s not shot by a professional photographer in a studio.
When researching the Crack Pie, I came upon some roadblocks. First, in addition to an official version in the magazine, there is also an official version from the Los Angeles Times. And as you can surmise, they’re slightly different. I would have to wing it a bit and go with what worked for most people. Not easy considering most people have tried only one version. I did my best at gathering all the evidence.
Preamble aside, my pie turned out perfectly and tasted amazing. But how can you go wrong with an oatmeal cookie crust and a filling that is little more than sugar and eggs? Yes, oatmeal cookie crust. Salty crispness mixed with rich, oozy sweetness results in a dessert high few confections can reach. To take it one step further, I added a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream. You don’t want any more sugar, but more fat? Indeed. Why? Because it’s ideal to have something to cut through the sweetness. And if there’s an opportunity for me to add cream, you know I’m going to do it.
Momofuku Crack Pie
Oat cookie crust:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
5 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
8 teaspoons milk powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
6 1/2 tablespoons whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For oat cookie crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray. Combine 6 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until pale and fluffy. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Turn oat mixture out onto prepared baking pan; press out evenly to edges of pan. Bake until light golden on top, 17 to 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cookie completely.
Make cookie crumbs in food processor or by pounding by hand (put crumbs in heavy duty freezer bag, crush with rolling pin); add 3 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Rub in with fingertips until mixture is moist enough to stick together. Transfer cookie crust mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Using fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish. Place pie dish with crust on rimmed baking sheet. I had leftover crumbs.
For filling:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Whisk both sugars, milk powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and whisk until blended. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue to bake for another 10 minutes. Turn oven off and leave pie in oven for an additional 10 minutes. The pie will be brown in spots. It will be set around the edges and still a little jiggly in the centre. Cool pie 2 hours in pie dish on rack. Chill uncovered overnight.
Serve cold, either with sifted icing sugar on top or with unsweetened whipped cream.
