Vanilla Cream Pudding Pie

Ingredients

• 1 (9-inch) all-butter pie crust shell, blind-baked and cooled

For the Filling

• 1 1/2 cups 2% milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Topping

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon powdered confectioner's sugar
• 2 cups fresh berries of choice

Instructions

To make the filling: pour the milk and heavy whipping cream into a medium saucepan. Whisk the sugar, salt, cornstarch and vanilla extract into milk and cream until smooth. Warm the mixture over medium heat, whisking continuously, until it comes to a boil; about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to stir the pudding until it becomes very thick; around 3 to 4 minutes more.

Spoon the hot vanilla pudding into the prepared pie shell, leveling the filling with the back of the spoon. Cover the warm pudding with a sheet of plastic wrap placed directly on the surface, ensuring that the crust edge remains exposed. Refrigerate the pie for 4 hours or until cold and firmly set.

Once the filling is set, make the topping. Whip heavy whipping cream with the powdered confectioner’s sugar until stiff enough to retain shape when applied to the pie. Spoon the whipped cream over the top of the pie and garnish with fresh berries. Alternately, the berries may be scattered over the surface of the filling, and the whipped cream piped over top with a decorator’s tip. Return the pie to the refrigerator until ready to enjoy.

To serve, slice the pie chilled.

Recipe Notes: A variety of fresh red or yellow raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and gooseberries scattered over the pie filling is both pretty and delicious. To keep the filling snowy white, use clear vanilla flavoring instead of vanilla extract. Leftover pie may be loosely wrapped with aluminum foil and refrigerated for up to three days.