Preheat the oven to 450°F. Roll the refrigerated pie crust into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Generously pierce on the bottoms and sides. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just browned. Remove and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the cream and turn on heat to medium. Continue to whisk continuously until the sugar dissolves and it thickens, approximately 6-8 minutes. The thicken happens fast and you must whisk continuously to prevent scalding.
When it thickens, remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, vanilla bean paste (or extract) and salt.
Pour the vanilla filling into the prepared pie crust.
Reduce the oven heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 23-25 minutes or until the custard starts to bubble and then develop a layer of skin on top.
Remove and allow to cool.
When ready to serve, mix together the cinnamon sugar with nutmeg in a small bowl.
Baste the top of the pie with the melted butter and then evenly sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.
Using a butane torch, brulee the sugar until it melts, browns and hardens.
Serve immediately.
If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
If you do not have access to butane torch, you can melt the sugar under a hot broiler. Protect the pie crust from burning by creating a shield to using aluminum foil. Most "crust savers" aren't safe to use under the intense heat of a broiler.