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