This salted caramel pie is a full commitment dessert; raspberry, caramel, toasted meringue, the whole situation. The caramel is made the lazy but genius way by baking sweetened condensed milk until it turns thick and golden, then layering it over buttery graham cracker crust with a bright homemade raspberry preserve underneath. It’s finished with a cloud of Swiss meringue and torched on top so every bite hits sweet, salty, tangy, and toasted all at once.

What is Maillard reaction?

The Maillard reaction is what happens when heat transforms proteins and sugars creating that deep browned flavor we associate with things like toasted bread crust, seared meat, roasted coffee, and golden baked goods. It’s basically the reason “brown” tastes so good; heat triggers a chain of reactions that creates hundreds of new aroma and flavor compounds, turning something simple into something nutty, caramel-y, savory, and complex. It’s different from caramelization (which is mainly sugar) and is big part of why your condensed milk turns rich and golden as it bakes into caramel for this pie.

How to make salted caramel pie?

To start, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a medium baking dish in a large baking dish, and fill the large dish with water. Pour the sweetened condensed milk in the medium dish and sprinkle with coarse salt. Cover both dishes with foil and bake for 2-3 hours until golden brown and thickened, occasionally stirring. Meanwhile in a small pot over medium low heat, cook the raspberries with the 1/4 water and 1/4 cup sugar for about 30-40 minutes until almost all the liquid has boiled off. Then fold in the cornstarch and set aside to cool. Make the crust by placing the graham crackers, melted butter, and 2 tbsp sugar in a food processor and pulse until even texture. Press the crust firmly against a pie dish and bake for 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Spread the raspberry preserves evenly on the crust and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Once the caramel has cooled to room temperature, spread it evenly on the pie. Oil plastic wrap and cover the pie, then refrigerate over night. In a small pot, bring 1” of water to boil and turn the heat down to medium. Add egg whites and 1 cup of sugar in a large mixing bowl and put it over the simmering water. Whisk constantly until 160 degrees (or until sugar isn’t grainy between fingers), then remove from heat and whisk on high speed for 10 minutes. Then fold in a pinch of salt and vanilla bean paste. Spread the Swiss meringue evenly over the pie and use a kitchen torch to toast it. Serve immediately.

Tips

Press the graham cracker crust firmly against the pie dish so it doesn’t crumble when cut.
Be sure to oil the plastic wrap before covering the pie with it - this will prevent it from sticking to the caramel.
Refrigerate for minimum of 8 hours for the pie to set. Pipe Swiss meringue and toast it with a kitchen torch when ready to serve.