Breakfast Pie
breakfast pie
Ingredients
for the crust
3 cups (150g) fruity pebbles cereal (or similar), measured pre-crushing
6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
a pinch of kosher salt
for the filling (part 1)
1-½ cups sweet cherries, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons (25g) light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
for the filling (part 2)
¼ cup (35g) cornstarch
½ cup (100g) light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2–½ cups cold whole milk (divided)
1 large egg
¼ cup cherry liquid reserved from filling part 1
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
for the filling (part 2)
¾ cup cold heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
A Few Notes:
The purple you’ll get for the filling will be relatively light. If you want the pie to be *more* purple you can add a drop of food coloring and whisk it in with the vanilla extract.
Feel free to top the pie decoratively with a few whole cherries just before serving (if using fresh).
Up the cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon if you love cinnamon.
Pairs Well With:
In what might be my best idea yet, this recipe involves a crust made of fruity pebbles cereal. Yes, a fruity pebbles crust. The filling is a silky, dreamy pudding made with cherry, brown sugar, and cinnamon. The flavor ends up being something like a blend of a bowl of cereal and a toaster strudel (just trust me - it works). And much like fruity pebbles, you most likely won’t be able to discern a specific flavor of fruit, but it’ll be delicious. And for the icing on the cake - it’s naturally purple!
makes a 9” pie
the how-to: crust
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and dig out your 9” pie plate. Smash your fruity pebbles into crumbs! I do this by putting them in a thick gallon-sized Ziploc bag and banging it out on the countertop (ha!) with a rolling pin.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the fruity pebbles crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the crust firmly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate (I find it helps to use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass).
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, until set. Remove the crust from the oven and set it aside on a wire rack to cool. Turn off the oven, we won’t need it anymore!
the how-to: filling (part 1)
In a heavy medium sized saucepan, stir together the cherries, sugar, and water. Over medium heat, bring it to a boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat to medium low. Simmer until the cherries are broken down and the mixture slightly thickens, 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally and smooshing the cherries down with the back of your spatula to make sure you’re getting all that juice. Push the liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl and discard the remnants. Measure out ¼ cup of the liquid and set it aside. Wipe out the saucepan and return it to the stove.
the how-to: filling (part 2)
In a medium sized, heat proof bowl whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, and kosher salt. Gradually whisk in ½ cup of the cold milk, then the egg. In your heavy medium sized saucepan, bring the remaining 2 cups of milk to a gentle simmer over medium low heat. Once the milk is simmering, turn off the heat and whisk in your ¼ cup of cherry liquid. Carefully remove one cup of the hot milk mixture and slowly pour it into the cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the cornstarch mixture back into the saucepan and whisk over medium heat until bubbling. Whisk constantly for two minutes, until the mixture thickens. Remove the pudding from heat, then stir in the vanilla extract.
Carefully pour the pudding into the pie crust and refrigerate it for at least three hours.
the how-to: whipped cream
Just before serving, make your whipped cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on medium high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
Plop the whipped cream on top of the pie and swoosh it around to cover most of the surface.
store covered in the fridge for up two days.
