I went apple picking this past weekend and I walked away with *all* the apple baking inspiration! This pie was the first thing I wanted to conquer and I used all my Golden Delicious apples on it.
This pie is basically a cross between creme brulee and a traditional apple pie. It has an apple filling but poured over top is an egg custard similar to that of creme brulee. Top it all off with an almond crumble and you have yourself a banging fall dessert! I like this pie because it’s not too sweet and the crunch from the almond topping goes perfectly with the filling.
This pie requires a blind baked crust. I plan on posting a detailed how-to on pie crust making, but to be honest, I don’t really feel like I’ve mastered it myself, yet! So feel free to use your own go-to recipe for pie crust and bake it with pie weights or beans inside to prevent bubbles.
While the crust is blind baking, you can mix together the custard and set aside then start working on the apples.
When you saute the apples, you want to keep them a little bit crisp and stop cooking them before they get mushy.
Pour the apples into the blind baked crust and pour the custard on top. Bake for 30 minutes until the custard is almost set!
Once you pull it out of the oven it will still be jiggly. This is where you put the almond topping on and continue baking. You may need to shield your crust at this point to keep it from browning any further. I did this with strips of aluminum foil but I know you can buy pie shield that are reusable too.
Once it comes out of the oven, you unfortunately have to wait until it’s completely cooled at room temp or refrigerated until you slice it! I recommend refrigerating it because it will cut easier and cleaner, which is always hard with pies!
Even though you don’t serve this pie hot, I think it’s best when you serve it with a scoop of ice cream! As usual I was in the grocery store ice cream aisle having serious FOMO wondering which one I should use for this recipe. I’ve recently seen Jeni’s ice creams pop up in grocery stores and I’ve been curious to try them. They are super expensive at 7.99 for a small pint, but I used the Brown Butter Almond Brittle one for this recipe and holy crap it is so good! Definitely not your average grocery store ice cream. It’s worth the splurge!
I love how the center of this pie is custard-like but the apples are still slightly crisp and the almond topping is crunchy and toasted! It all goes perfectly with the ice cream and tastes different than a regular apple pie.
Apple Custard Pie
Ingredients
- 1 deep dish pie crust, blind baked
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks `
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 lb baking apples, such as honeycrisp, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Almond Topping:
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- While the pie crust is blind baking, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside.
- Melt the 2 tbsp. of butter in a large skillet and add the apple slices and sugar. Saute the apples until they are softened but not mushy.
- Pour the cooked apples in the blind baked pie shell and pour the custard over top. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes until custard is barely set.
- While the filling is baking, mix together the ingredients for the almond topping in a small bowl. Remove the pie from oven, sprinkle the topping over it evenly and bake another 15-20 minutes. The pie ready when the custard is set but still had s light jiggle in the center.
- Cool the pie completely before slicing or refrigerate before slicing (recommended). Serve at room temperature with ice cream!
