I recently saw this film with my kids and I thought it was so cute. I loved all the old school gaming and internet references. This film picks up a few years after the original film Wreck it Ralph, we find Ralph still loving his life and hanging out with Sugar Rush driver  Vanellope Von Schweetz. While Ralph is perfectly content with how things are, Vanellope wonders if there’s more to life than driving the same tracks day in and day out.

After an accident puts Sugar Rush out of order, Ralph and Vanellope set off into the newly plugged in wifi in an attempt to get the game fixed and get their world back to normal. While navigating pop-ups, meeting princesses, and becoming an internet sensation, Ralph and Vanellope have their friendship tested as they discover their goals aren’t as closely aligned as they initially thought.

At one point in the film, Ralph is saturating the internet with himself performing all sorts of trending virally video type things. Ralph superimposes himself onto cat videos, screaming goat videos, he does the Floss and burns pies; this is where my interest was piqued. We return to the burning pie in the end scene where he serves it to his friends and explains that it can be made with any pie only burnt. I wondered what the significance of it could be since it is referenced more than once.

One reason for the pie is the obvious nod to the current trend in cooking fail videos and shows.  Ralph burning a pie is an obvious choice to get the viewership on Buzztube that he is looking for; cooking shows are wildly popular but the recent cooking fails are even more popular. Another nod given by the appearance of the pie is to a popular video game called Runescape.  The pie occurs in the game when a player accidently cooks it too long. You can only trade a burnt pie with other players, much like how Ralph brings the burnt pie to the picnic with the other game characters.  Ralph’s burnt pie was one in the long list of winks that the filmmakers have done to current and past media and gaming  trends.

When you look back at the original Wreck it Ralph, you can’t help but notice that Felix is always given a pie when he wins the game. Ralph actually remarks that the hero always gets the pie. In Ralph Breaks the Internet, Ralph is the hero and gets his pie but it is burnt. This is symbolic of Ralph reinventing himself as a good guy but the fact that his pie is burnt alludes to the fact that although he is a good guy, he isn’t perfect.

At first I was discouraged that the only food in the film was a burnt pie but then I thought of it as a unique challenge. I knew that there must be a pie that can be made by being burnt on purpose. My first thought was a crème brulee type pie because of the burnt sugar on top.  Then the idea came to me that marshmallow is something that tastes great even when burnt. So I decided to combine both of these concepts and create a burnt sugar pie with a burnt marshmallow topping=burnt pie.

I have attempted to make my own pie crusts in the past with good results but for this pie I felt it would be easier and less labor intensive to just use a store bought shell. If you prefer making your own then by all means go for it but my point is, using a store bought shell will not make or break this pie.

Once I boiled the cream and vanilla and removed from the heat, I put the mixture in a bowl and covered it with plastic wrap. This is to prevent a skin from forming on the top of the mixture, causing chunks in the mixture. Then I made and boiled a simple syrup and added it to the vanilla cream mixture to make a sort of caramel cream. Then I added egg yolks, (save the whites!), and poured it into baked and cooled pie shell and put it into the oven until only slightly jiggly and golden brown.

Once I pulled the pie out and let it cool a bit I covered the surface with a quarter cup of sugar. I put it back in the oven on broil and caramelized the sugar. My husband thought I was crazy, sitting on the floor in my kitchen watching the sugar melt but it was so cool to watch! I pulled the pie out and let it cool while I worked up the marshmallow cream for the top of the pie.

My biggest tip for making the topping would be to use a candy thermometer, it’s not necessary but they are really handy! Other than making sure the simple syrup is at the thread stage before adding in, the topping was pretty simple to make. I spread it over the pie and did my best to make some peaks and crests. I put it under the broiler again and sat and watched it turn a lovely brown. If you are too scared to commit to burning the topping, don’t be afraid to stop here. Otherwise, let it go till it turns black but not ruined. It is important to note that the burnt marshmallow smell will happen so if you are making this pie for guests, you may want to make this ahead of time.

The end result of this is amazing on a couple of different levels. It tasted amazing, seriously. The texture of the pie is custardy and then there is a nice bit of crunch that the burnt sugar gives; and then there is the gooiness of the marshmallow topping. The burnt top made everyone skeptical about eating it, but they were mesmerized by the taste! And I was proud of myself that I actually concocted a pie that could be burnt on purpose and taste good!

Burnt Pie aka Burnt Custard Pie with Burnt Marshmallow Topping

For the Pie

• 1 9inch pie shell, baked and cooled
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out
• 3/4 cup sugar plus another 1/4 cup of sugar, divided
• 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Marshmallow topping:

• 1 envelope (7g) unflavored powdered gelatin
• 1/4 (60ml), plus 1/3 (80ml) cup cold water
• 1/3 cup (80ml) light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup  sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Bring 3 cups of the cream and the vanilla bean and the seeds to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat, cover with plastic wrap, and let the cream and vanilla bean steep for 20 to 30 minutes. Discard the vanilla bean.
3. Combine 3/4 cup of the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a medium saucepan. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Then, stop stirring and allow to boil until mixture turns a deep amber color, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Carefully and slowly whisk in the cream mixture to create caramel.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and salt. Whisking constantly, slowly stream in the caramel sauce. Pour the caramel mixture into the cooled piecrust and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the caramel filling is only slightly jiggly in the center and the top is golden brown.
5. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. After about 30-45 minutes top pie with 3/4 cup sugar and spread. Cover the pie edges with foil to prevent burning. Place pie under broiler for about 4-5 minutes until the sugar is evenly melted and carmelized.
6. For the marshmallow topping, sprinkle the gelatin over the 1/4 cup cold water in a small bowl. Heat the remaining 1/3 cup water with the corn syrup and sugar. When the sugar syrup has started to boil (around212 degrees), begin whipping the egg whites in an electric bowl mixer until frothy. As the syrup inches up to the thread stage, (around 215-225 degrees) increase the mixer speed on the egg whites to high and slowly dribble the syrup into the whites as they are whipping, being careful to avoid pouring on the whisk/beater (You don’t want the syrup flinging away and sticking to the sides of the bowl.)
7. Scrape the softened gelatin into the warm pan that was being used to make the syrup, and stir until dissolved. Slowly drizzle the gelatin into the whites as they are whipping, being careful to avoid pouring it on the whisk/beater. Add the vanilla and continue to beat for 5-10 minutes, until room temperature. 
8.  Put the rack on the upper third of the oven. With a spatula, swirl the marshmallow over the entire top of the pie, making billowy peaks and crannies. Broil the pie for 4 to 5 minutes or until the top is burnt. Let cool before slicing.