Perfect Custard Pie

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening using a pastry blender, or my favorite, your fingertips. Work it until the mixture resembles gravel. Pour in the water and stir with a sturdy spoon until dough will hold together when you try to form a ball. Less is more here. Stir too much and you'll wind up with a tough, chewy pie crust. Form dough into a disc and refrigerate as you preheat the oven to 350F. When oven reaches temperature, roll out the dough to fit your pie pan, prick with a fork, and bake 7 minutes. Remove from heat and reduce oven temp. to 325F.

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Break one egg and add the white to a small dish and the yolk to a large bowl. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the egg white over the pie crust.

Pour remaining egg white into large bowl with the yolk. Add remaining eggs and vanilla. Pour evaporated milk into a measuring cup. Add enough milk (2% or whole) to bring the total milk to 2 c.and whisk this into the egg mixture.

Whisk dry ingredients into the milk+eggs slosh and pour into pie shell. Sprinkle with nutmeg to suit your fancy. I used about 2 teaspoons.

Bake for 1 hour or until custard is set. The center of the pie may not puff up as the edges, but as long as it's not jiggly, you're golden. Turn off oven and prop open oven door with a wooden spoon to allow pie to cool slowly for about 10 minutes. Then open the door and cool 10 min. more. Remove from oven and cool to room temp. before cutting. This slow cooling process is guaranteeing you a pie without cracks on top. If you don't mind cracked custard pie, just go ahead and cool the pie on a rack or on the countertop.Serve at room temperature or chilled. Store covered in the refrigerator.