“This came about when we were making crack pie for a sundae in our ice-cream truck, but the top was too sticky and everything bound together and ended up a mess,” says Alistair Wise. “The Jatz on top solved it and made a fine salty crust. The pie took over and we had to start selling it in the shop. It’s also a tribute to Sydney restaurant Acme, which serves Jatz and dip.”
This recipe makes two pies to feed 12 people, which is perfect for a party, but can easily be halved to make one pie.
Ingredients
Pie base
Method
Main
1.For the pie base, preheat oven to 170°C and line two 22cm-diameter cake tins with baking paper. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, then mix in melted butter (the mixture will resemble coarse breadcrumbs).
2.Press pie base into the prepared tins and bake until light golden (8-9 minutes; the base doesn’t need to be cooked all the way – it will return to the oven shortly).
3.Heat butter and cream in a saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Lightly whisk eggs, vanilla, orange and a pinch of salt into butter mixture, then stir into dry ingredients; don’t whisk – you don’t want the mixture to become aerated. Transfer to a jug.
4.Cover each base with overlapping crackers. Slowly pour custard over crackers, ensuring all get a coating, which will caramelise during baking. Bake until set with just a little wobble in the centre (45-50 minutes; if pies start to get too much colour, cover with foil until the centre is done). Cool completely in tins before serving. Jatz pie will keep refrigerated for up to a week, but it’s best eaten on the day it’s made.
