The last time 'the person who shall remain nameless' tasted a beloved Graham Cracker Custard Pie was almost 50 years ago. It was a pie only his maternal grandmother had made. Growing up. his family would regularly go to his grandparents house for Sunday dinner. As soon as he came in the door his grandmother would pull him aside and whisper in his ear 'I made two Graham Cracker Pies, one just for you.' But after his grandmother passed, no one could ever seem to get the beloved pie right. So for decades, the pie became a cherished childhood memory. Then last week, the recipe for the pie he so loved eating during his youth resurfaced in the box of recipes kept by his mother. And like many family recipes, the handwritten recipe card listed only the ingredients, no directions.
Favorite foods, especially ones with powerful memories, can often be a source of comfort during times of grief. This last week brought the unexpected passing of his father. By some kind of divine intervention, work and life had brought 'the person who shall remain nameless' the thousand miles to his father's home. Giving him the chance to spend time with his father during the last week of his life. This small, yet profoundly moving consolation of being able to say goodbye in person could only have been orchestrated by a higher power. There is no other logical explanation.
Sometimes words cannot fully express one's sympathies when a friend or family member experiences the loss of a loved one. So rather than try to find the right words, I thought I would help ease the overwhelming sense of sadness caused by such a significant loss by making the Graham Cracker Custard Pie. Hoping memories of love and happiness would help soothe a hurting heart.
However, if I could not find directions for this Graham Cracker Custard Pie, all I would have would be my good intentions (and we all know there is a world of difference between thinking about doing something and actually doing it). Having never heard of a Graham Cracker Custard Pie before, I realized I would need to jump into the proverbial recipe search rabbit hole. Crossing my fingers the directions for this pie were out there somewhere. The good news: they were. The bad news: there were conflicting directions on how to make it. I could tell you I used custard making logic in deciding which set of directions made the most sense. But that wouldn't be telling the complete truth. I went with a part logic, part luck, and a part 'hoping someone was watching out for me' decision.
In the process of looking for the directions, I learned this graham cracker pie, filled with a slightly decadent creamy custard, and usually topped with a meringue was one made by grandmothers and mothers in the 1950s. Definitely falling into the category of 'old, cherished and treasured' recipes. Some claimed the 'original' recipe was printed on the box of graham crackers. Although, due to the number of variations in ingredient amounts as well as in directions, I wondered what the 'original' recipe actually might have been. If I stayed down this rabbit hole, I might have found it. But I didn't. Here in the states it was called Graham Cracker Pie, while in Canada it was called Prairie Flapper Pie. Could different graham cracker package labeling been responsible for creating two different names for essentially the same pie? Maybe.
Like all of the cooks, past and present, making this Graham Cracker Custard Pie, I too couldn't leave anything alone. The list of ingredients for the graham cracker crust on the recipe card listed only three ingredients: graham crackers, butter and sugar. The crust for this pie was made with: graham crackers, sugar, butter, kosher salt, vanilla, and cinnamon. In the making of this pie, I stayed true to crushing whole graham crackers to make the crumbs.
The only part of this pie actually baked is the crust. It only takes 10 minutes in a pre-heated 325 degree (F) oven. The crust needs to made first as it needs to cool to room temperature before the custard is added.
I kept all of the ingredients for the custard the same, except the sugar. I increased it from 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup. Mostly because I could not find another recipe using 1/4 cup of sugar with similar ingredient proportions. But more so because I didn't think 1/4 cup wasn't going to give the custard the right amount of sweetness. As luck would have it, this decision turned out to be a good one as after one taste of the custard the person who shall remain nameless had only three words to say: 'you nailed it'.
If you have made a pudding or a custard before, you know it's important to take steps to ensure the egg yolks don't curdle. After the scalded milk is added to the sugar/cornstarch/salt and mixture is slightly thickened, a half cup of the hot mixture is whisked into a bowl of the blended egg yolks. For good measure, I always whisk in a second half cup of the hot mixture into the eggs before returning it all to the pan. By adding a small amount of the hot mixture to the eggs and whisking rapidly, you prevent any curdling from happening to the finished custard. Once this 'egg mixture' is returned to the pan, your custard will have just the right consistency in approximately 2-3 minutes. Note: Whisking constantly throughout the entire custard making process will help assure you end up with the creamiest, smoothest custard possible.
The custard should cool slightly before being poured into the baked graham cracker crust. After 30 minutes, with some regular stirring to prevent a skin from forming on top, my custard was cool enough.
At this point in the making of the beloved Graham Cracker Custard Pie, it was how the 'person who shall remain nameless' remembered it. His grandmother did not finish it with a meringue topping. I asked 'what did she do with the egg whites?'. But after asking that question, I realized a 12 year old boy might not have known to even ask that question. Instead, I asked 'Would you mind if I added the meringue to the pie?'. The easy was answer was 'no'. Because when you wait 50 years for this pie, all you really care about is re-tasting the custard from your childhood memory.
I could have made a traditional meringue topping, but no. I wanted this one to be finished with something different than a French style meringue. So I decided to try my hand at making a Swiss Meringue. If it didn't turn out, well then the Graham Cracker Custard Pie would be same as the one written on the recipe card. But if it did turn out, well, then it would be one made this time around with even more love.
Instead of first beating egg whites until they are light, airy and having soft peaks and then adding the sugar to stabilize and increase the meringue's volume, a Swiss meringue involves cooking a bowl of egg whites and sugar over hot steaming water. When the mixture reaches 175 degrees (F), the bowl is transferred to a standing mixture and beaten until smooth, silky, and marshmallowy in volume. Swiss meringue is denser and slightly more flavorful than a French meringue. Additionally, it's texture is perfect for piping onto a pie or cake. For a slightly more dramatic finish, I browned Swiss Meringue with a kitchen torch. Go big or go home, right? Note: Wait until the pie has completely chilled before finishing with the Swiss meringue.
This Graham Cracker Custard Pie lasted less than 24 hours. And with the exception of the teeny, tiny sliver I took, there was only one person eating it. Because when you wait 50 years for a pie, you are given a pass from exercising any form of self-control. Had the creamy custard combined with the slightly decadent Swiss meringue topping not been so rich, it wouldn't have even lasted that long.
In spite of making some slight changes to his grandmother's recipe, it accomplished everything I had hoped it would. Not only is this slightly modified recipe now preserved so it can be made again (this time with directions), the Graham Cracker Custard Pie turned out to be exactly the kind of comfort a grieving heart deserved.
Graham Cracker Custard Pie (Custard recipe based on a treasured family recipe; Swiss Meringue recipe, slightly altered, from Serious Eats)
Serves 8
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups (220 g) graham cracker crumbs, preferably made by crushing graham crackers
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional, but recommended)
Custard
1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whole milk
3 large egg yolks (reserve egg whites for meringue)
Swiss Meringue
2/3 cup (170 g) egg whites, from 5-6 large eggs (use the egg whites from the custard, plus whites from 2-3 additional large eggs)
1 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon (255 g) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions
Crust
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the crumbs, sugar, melted butter, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon until well blended.
3. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides (about 3/4") of a 9" tart pan.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Custard
1. Combine cornstarch, sugar and salt in a medium sized saucepan. Mix together. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Set aside.
3. Scald milk on the stovetop. Milk will have tiny bubbles along the edge but will not be boiling.
4. Over medium-low flame, slowly add 1 cup of the scalded milk to the cornstarch/sugar/salt mixture whisking constantly. As the mixture begins to thicken, add the second cup of the scalded milk, stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken. Note: Cooking time will be somewhere between 5 and 8 minutes.
5. Remove pan from heat. Remove about 1/2 cup of the mixture and whisk into the beaten eggs. Add a second 1/2 cup of the mixture, whisk, and immediately return mixture back into the pot. Return pot to medium-low flame and continue to stir constantly.
6. Cook custard for an additional 2-3 minutes or until it reaches pudding consistency and just begins to boil. Remove pan from heat.
7. Stir in vanilla.
8. Allow custard to cool for at least 30 minutes. Note: Stir custard occasionally while cooling in order to prevent a skin from forming on top.
9. Pour cooled custard into the graham cracker shell. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Swiss Meringue
1. Fill a wide deep pan with at least 1 1/2" of water. Make a thick ring of crumpled tinfoil placed inside to act as a 'booster seat'. Over high heat, bring water to a steaming hot level. Then adjust to maintain a gentle simmer.
2. Combine egg whites, sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla in the metal bowl of a standing mixer. Set on top of the 'booster seat' over the steaming water.
3. Stirring and scraping continuously using a flexible spatula, bring mixture to 175 degrees (F). Approximately 8-12 minutes.
4. Transfer bowl to a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and whip at high speed until meringue is glossy and beginning to ball up inside the whisk (approximately 5 minutes).
5. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with tip of choice. Decorate top of chilled pie. Alternately drop dollops of the meringue on top of the pie and finish by making a swirl pattern using the back of a large spoon.
6. Brown the meringue until desired 'brownness' using a kitchen torch.
7. Serve Graham Cracker Custard Pie. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes: (1) Pie can be served without a Swiss Meringue topping or without a traditional meringue. (2) If you have never made Swiss meringue before, recommend watching the Serious Eats video. (3) Pie can be made in either a glass/ceramic pie plate or tart pan with removable bottom.
