Vanilla Cream Pie

Happy St. Patrick's Day yesterday!  We had a green pie, which was a little greener than I had planned, but my kids really liked it, so that's great :)  I used my favorite vanilla cream pie recipe from Cook's Illustrated Best Recipe Cookbook, and as usual, their recipes turned out great.  I didn't make a homemade crust this time, I just didn't want to make that much effort, so I used a store bought crust, which gives a poorer product, but still the pie was great.  Aaron and Owen gave it a 7, I gave it an 8, and Noah gave it a perfect 10.  There are 8 servings in the pie, and the calories per serving with the whipped cream were 429.  Good thing it's a holiday treat, right?

Cream Filling
1/2 c plus 2 T sugar
1/4 c cornstarch
1/8 t salt
5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 c 2 % or whole milk (I used whole)
1/2 c evaporated milk
1/2 vanilla bean or 1 t vanilla extract
2 T unsalted butter
1-2 t brandy (if you don't use alcohol, you could use another 1-2 t vanilla extract, like I did)

1 Prebaked pie crust, baked and cooled

Whipped Cream Topping
1 c chilled heavy cream
1 T sugar
1 t vanilla

1. For the filling: Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium saucepan.  Add the yolks, then immediately but gradually whisk in the milk and evaporated milk.  Drop in the vanilla bean (if using).  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently at first, then constantly as the mixture starts to thicken and begins to simmer, 8-10 minutes.  Once the mixture simmers, continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute longer.  Remove the pan from the heat; whisk in the butter, vanilla extract (if using), and brandy (if using).  Remove the vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds, and whisk them back into the filling.
2. Pour the filling into a shallow pan (I didn't do this part).  Cover with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming on the top, and cool for 20-30 minutes until warm.  Pour the warm filling into the pie shell, and the cover again with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, then top with the whipped cream and serve.