The apple custard pie, with its rich custard and slowly caramelised apples, is really a French recipe known in its home country as ‘Tarte aux Pommes à l’Alsacienne’. It’s part of a family of apple pies (or tarts), some of which are made with frangipane, others, as in the Normandy region, with Calvados, and of course the classic Tarte Tatin, with its delicious caramel.
What you’ll need
- 2 or 3 apples
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 300g shortcrust pastry
- 75g caster sugar
- 200g double cream
Easy as Apple Custard Pie
1. Begin by preheating your oven to 220°C, or 200°C if you have a fan oven. Then grease a 25cm pie tin.
2. Next, roll out your pastry until it’s just larger than the pie tin and press it into the tin, making sure you have an even covering. Put in the fridge to chill for about half an hour.
3. Take your apples and peel, core and quarter them. Cutting each quarter into 4 thin slices, arrange them into concentric circles in the pastry base.
4. Bake for fifteen minutes.
5. While the pie is in the oven, make your custard. Grab a whisk and beat your egg yolks, cinnamon, cream and sugar together until smooth. It should drop off the whisk easily.
6. Remove the pie from the oven and pour your custard over the apples. Then place the pie back into the oven for another 30 minutes until the apples are cooked through. If anything looks like it is burning, place some aluminium foil over the top.
For the adventurous among you
If you’re feeling brave and want to make your own shortcrust pastry then you’ll need 225g plain flour, 100g butter and a few drops of water. Put the flour in a bowl, and then rub in the butter between your fingers, making sure just to use the tips of your fingers, not your palms. It’s very important not to heat up the mixture too much and melt the butter, otherwise it will taste unpleasant when cooked. Once the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, add a few drops of water and bring together into a ball of dough.
For some apple custard pie inspiration in Singapore, you can get hold of some at Baker & Cook. They usually serve their pies by the slice, but we’re sure you could make them an offer they couldn’t refuse for the whole thing…
