So why would you not use Arrowroot or tapioca as a "won't reduce the flavor" thickener? And since you've already got out the eggs, milk & flour...do you have a good Yorkshire pudding recipe? My British mother used to make it all the time (and I know of "bung it on the cob" as well as "pass the rubber" and "knock me up in the morning.")
I've only had coconut custard pie, which I dearly love. I don't ever recall just having plain custard pie.
Well you've been missing out. Egg custard with a sprinkle of nutmeg is my favorite pie, though I like coconut custard, too.
I’ve been playing with the egg nog thing and it turns the mix lumpy enough without the tapioca but that’s a good suggestion John. Normally, I do not like mixes unless it’s a cake or cookie mix. I have left more than one commercial kitchen because managers insist on a mix for easy stuff like Bernaise, Hollondaise and various other sauces. I do not care what kind of sauce mix it is, the sauce is NEVER as good as one that is properly made from scratch. That said, a good custard needs a lot of patience, tempering and some need water baths whilst baking so I figured that this time I’d try Bird’s since it comes with some fantastic reviews. I’m not trying to sell the stuff to a guest so I figure that if I and my wife like it then that’s all that counts. On my last experiment I just added a couple more tablespoons of the mix and switched the preparation procedure similar to that of a bechmel sauce. In other words, I take equal parts of the mix and milk and heat that until it’s smooth and bubbly then I add the scalded milk to it and voila, thick pudding like custard. Add an extra extra tablespoon of the mix and when it thickens it’s good for a gram cracker crust pie and can be sliced. Follow the recipe and it makes a great sauce for cake or maybe ice cream. Come to think of it, I may even try to make ice cream with it this spring. Note: As I mentioned earlier in this post, when I use half egg nog and half milk it gets small lumps which I have an affinity for. Yeah, I like lumpy grits too.
OK. Egg custard pie is in the oven, along with a couple of ramekins of "excess" custard that wouldn't fit in the pie crust. I'm living on the edge and not baking them in a water bath.