Recipe: Indiana Cream Pie (slightly modified from Marcia Adams' recipe for Velvet Custard Pie in Cooking from Quilt Country)

Pie needs no occasion — it's always welcome. But it's a great thing to serve while tailgating or even just watching the game at home.

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch pie crust
• 1-3/4 cups half-and-half
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of kosher salt
• pinch of nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the pie crust into a pan. With a knife, trim the excess dough.

In a medium saucepan, bring the half-and-half and milk just to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk, and then pour the custard into the prepared pie crust. Sprinkle top of pie with just a pinch of nutmeg.

Bake for 45 minutes until the pie just wiggles slightly when jostled gently. Let cool completely, then refrigerate.

To decorate pie crust:

Roll out trimmings from the pie crust, not too thin. Cut 1-1/2-inch leaf shapes, then use the knife to make markings upon each one.

Combine 1 drop of food coloring with 1 tablespoon of water; use this to paint the leaves.

Rub a bit of corn syrup onto the pie crust, and then lay the leaves onto it in a decorative pattern.

This recipe was adapted by Mary Bilyeu and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on Oct. 27, 2011.