Description
Homemade dandelion cream pie celebrates springtime’s most misunderstood flower with unexpected culinary magic. Garden-fresh flowers and silky custard create a delicate dessert you’ll savor with countryside charm.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups (710 ml) whole milk
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 cup (240 ml) dandelion petals
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup (170 g) honey
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
- 5 tbsps cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Crust Preparation: Merge graham cracker crumbs with sugar and melted butter, pressing the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan to create an even base and sides. Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes until edges achieve a delicate golden hue, then allow to cool completely.
- Custard Foundation: Whisk milk, honey, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Warm remaining milk in a saucepan until steaming, then gradually blend into the egg mixture while stirring to prevent curdling. Return to saucepan and cook over gentle heat, stirring consistently until the mixture transforms into a pudding-like consistency (5-8 minutes). Remove from heat and incorporate dandelion petals and vanilla extract.
- Pie Assembly: Pour the fragrant custard into the cooled crust, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least one hour to ensure complete setting and texture development.
- Cream Topping: Whip cream until soft peaks form, then introduce honey and vanilla. Continue beating until peaks stand tall and maintain their shape. Generously spread or pipe the whipped cream over the chilled pie, creating an elegant finishing touch.
Notes
- Prevent Curdling: Temper egg mixture slowly by adding hot milk in small, gradual streams while continuously whisking to avoid scrambling eggs.
- Petal Preparation: Remove green bases from dandelion petals to eliminate bitter flavors and ensure a smooth, delicate cream texture.
- Crust Consistency: Press graham cracker mixture firmly and evenly to create a compact, stable base that won’t crumble when slicing the pie.
- Whipping Technique: Chill cream and mixing bowl beforehand to achieve higher, more stable whipped cream peaks with better volume and structure.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 170 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg