I come from a family of good cooks, so cooking together during the holidays is something we take very seriously. But unlike a lot of families, maybe because the number of people we celebrate with has shrunk over the years, we don’t have a very set menu of traditional dishes for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. That is, except for the pies.
On our holiday table every year are pumpkin and apple pies – always. They are the best pumpkin and apples pies you will have ever tasted, because my mom and sister are pie masters who have perfected their art over many years. But sometimes there is room for one more pie, a wild card. Sometimes it’s coconut cream – my mom’s favorite. This year I’m nominating a pie that I first tested last year but perfected a month ago. It’s perfectly festive, a little unorthodox, and totally delicious.
Almost nothing beats a custard pie, and this one is no exception. It’s made with brown sugar which means the custard is a little darker, more caramel-y, has a little more depth. On top of this amazing custard (which is so good I could eat it out of a bowl every day) is a combo of apple pieces (use Granny Smith!) and cranberries lightly cooked in their own juices and some sugar.
I’m in love with this pie, but it took me a few tries to get it right. The key to making it sing is the size of the pie plate. Keep it small – something you’d use for a pumpkin, not an apple. You want the custard to fill it up almost all the way, leaving just the right amount of surface area for a perfectly heaped amount of tart fruit topping to get the ratio in each bite just right.
So I’m considering this the kick-off to the cooking portion of the 2015 holiday season. My strategy this year is a healthy amount of tradition with a few new and exciting plates to dish up – follow along!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, cold
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small cubes
- 1/4 cup ice water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (no need to thaw if frozen)
- 2 Granny Smith apples (9oz. total), peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- First, prepare the crust. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse for approximately 10 seconds, or until the mixture resembles course meal. Drizzle in the ice water while pulsing the food processor, for no more than 30 seconds, until the dough begins to come together.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape it into a disc. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and roll out so it fits into a 9″ regular (not deep dish) pie dish. Crimp the edges if you desire. Refrigerate the crust again for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Line the pie shell with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang, and fill with pie weights or dried beans to weight the crust down. Bake for about 20 minutes, then remove the foil or paper and weights and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until baked through and crisp.
- Next, make the filling. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch, granulated and brown sugars, milk, cream, egg yolks and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, for 7 minutes, or until large bubbles erupt on the surface and the custard has thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, apples and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes, for until most of the cranberries have popped and the apples are tender. Let cool to room temperature. Fill the cooled pie shell with the custard and then top with the cooled cranberry-apple mixture.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2015/11/19/cranberry-apple-custard-pie/
