Tarte au Sucre | Quebec Brown Sugar Pie

Combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Rub in the cold butter cubes with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the egg yolk and ice water, then press just until the dough comes together. Shape it into a disk, wrap it, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll the dough to 3 mm thick and fit it into a 24 cm tart pan. Prick the bottom with a fork and freeze for 15 minutes. Line it with parchment paper and fill with dried beans. Bake at 190°C / 375°F for 16 minutes. Remove the weights and bake for 4 minutes more; the crust should look matte and dry. Lower the oven to 170°C / 340°F.

Combine the brown sugar and 25 g flour in a saucepan while dry; if the flour is not evenly mixed through the sugar, it will form lumps in the filling. Add the cream and 40 g butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, then cook for 4 more minutes, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Slowly pour in the beaten egg while stirring constantly; adding it all at once to the hot mixture will make it coagulate and turn grainy. Stir in the vanilla seeds and salt.

Pour the filling into the warm crust and bake at 170°C / 340°F for 32 minutes. The filling should be set 4 cm in from the edges, while the very center jiggles slightly in one piece when the pan is shaken. A thin crust will form on top and crack when sliced; this is normal. Let the pie cool in the pan.