Pastry for 10″ pie
1 c Butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 c Sugar
4 lg Eggs
pn Salt
1/2 ts Vanilla extract or
-cognac vanilla *
1/2 ts Freshly grated nutmeg
3 1/2 c Peeled, cored, and chopped
-tart apples (about 3)
* To make cognac vanilla, get a fresh, fresh vanilla bean, cut
lengthwise and then crosswise exposing the tiny tiny seeds. Put into
an airtight container and pour on 2.5 oz. cognac or brandy per bean.
Every 2 or 3 days, shake the bottle. After about 2 or 3 weeks, you’ll
have a new taste sensation in vanilla flavoring.
Preheat oven to 400 F
Roll out the pastry and line the pie pan. Trim the edge even with
the rum. Cover with buttered foil, and weigh it down with pastry
weights or dried beans. Put the shell on the bottom rack of the oven
and bake for
10 minutes.
Remove the foil/weights and set the crust aside to cool. Reduce the
oven temp to 325 F.
Cream the butter and sugar thoroughly with an electric mixer until
fluffy. Add the eggs, salt, vanilla, and nutmeg, and mix well. Fold
the chopped apples into the egg mixture b hand. Pour the mixture into
the cooled pie shell. Place the pie pan on the lower rack of the
oven, and bake until the apples are tender and the blade of a knife
inserted into the custard comes out clean, 45 to 60 minutes. Serve
warm or cold.
Watch the pie carefully. Don’t overcook it or the filling will
“whey” or separate just as in cooking any custard. I think it’s a
good idea to undercook by a few minutes and let the cooking finish
outside the oven. The pie will hold enough heat to finish cooking
once removed from the oven.
Yields
1 Pie