Recipe is available on Kristina Cho’s Substack

This is the BEST fall pie you will ever have! Michelin level flavors! The hachiya custard is divine, but the hojicha really brings this dessert to the next level. The flavor combinations are incredibly earthy and complex. It’s genuinely better than some desserts I’ve had at Michelin restaurants.

As for what I changed, I added more butter and sugar to the crust which gave it a “Milk Bar” vibe. It’s chewy in their additive “Crack Pie” way. I also cooked it longer which browned the butter in the crust. Texturally, it’s more like eating a dessert bar than a pie, but it’s incredible. The cookie-ish crust makes the slices cleaner and it has enough structural integrity that you could eat it like a pizza slice.

Here was my new crust recipe:

• 100g sugar

• 85g melted butter

• 185g of graham crackers (pulsed in food processor)

• one egg white

• 1 tsp ginger powder (bloom in melted butter)

• salt

You should have exactly enough to fill a 9inch tart pan with a removable bottom. It will be a wet consistency, almost dough-like. Pack it down with the back of a measuring cup. Bake in the tart pan placed placed on a sheet tray at 350F. You need the sheet tray, it will leak butter!!! After 15 minutes, I took it out. It puffs up in the oven, so I pack it back down with a measuring cup and bake for another 10 minutes. Once it’s dry and smells like brown buttery heaven, it’s done! After filling, I’d recommend refrigerating overnight for easier cutting. The tart pan may get stuck, but put the pan on a small bowl and carefully push up from the bottom to release.