When I first saw this recipe I knew it was calling my name . . . This pie is amazing and has it all- sweet, salty, rich, creamy and easy to make!  What more could you want?  Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas and any special occasion.

As you can see there are just a few ingredients.  Fleur de sel is a specialty sea salt which is harvested by hand {yes, that means it’s expensive . . . try to find a specialty grocer who sells bulk like Whole Foods or Central Market.  You can buy just a very small amount and it will only cost $2-3 compared with the off-the-shelf price.}  If you want, you can substitute a good sea salt.  As I said, the process is simple, but it does require a couple of hours to let the caramel cook so plan ahead.  You can also prepare the pie in advance and keep it in the refrigerator (see note below).  Finally the pie will easily serve 8-10, because it’s so rich a small slice is plenty . . . well for most- there are a few in my house the will still come back for seconds.

Salted Caramel Pie

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 5 ounces)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Two 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
Fleur de sel
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.   In a food processor, pulse the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and light brown sugar until the crumbs are moistened.  Press the crumbs evenly into a 9-inch glass or metal pie plate.  Bake for about 8-10 minutes, just until lightly browned.  Let cool. Increase the oven temperature to 425°.

Scrape the condensed milk into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish and sprinkle with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of fleur de sel.  Cover the dish with foil and place it in a roasting pan.  Add enough hot water to the pan to reach one-third of the way up the side of the baking dish.  Bake, lifting the foil to stir 2 or 3 times, until the condensed milk is golden and thickened, about 2 hours; add more water to the roasting pan as necessary.  The consistency of the caramel should be like dulce de leche. Don’t worry if it is lumpy; it will smooth out as it chills. {It kind of looks like curdles when cooking and even when you pour it in the pie crust – but it does smooth out.}

Scrape the caramel filling into the pie crust, smoothing the top.  Spray a sheet of plastic wrap with vegetable oil spray and cover the pie.  Refrigerate until the filling is chilled and set, at least 4 hours or overnight.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream with the confectioners’ sugar until firm.  Remove the plastic.  Mound the whipped cream on top of the pie and sprinkle with fleur de sel.  Cut into wedges and serve.