Apple Maple Cream Pie
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
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Prep Time:1 Hour
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Cook Time:PT1H30M30 Minutes
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Yield:1 Pie
Ingredients
- Maple Custard:
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 large egg yolks (at room temperature)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Crust:
- 5 ounces about 1 heaping cup of crumbs (graham crackers or similar cookie)
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans, optional, see note
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Apple Topping:
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2-3 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, core and diced (or combination of apple types)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- Pinch clove
- Pinch nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Maple Custard:
- 59.15ml cornstarch
- 2 large egg yolks (at room temperature)
- 118.29ml heavy cream
- 2.13g kosher salt
- 473.18ml milk
- 236.59ml pure maple syrup
- 59.15ml unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 4.26g vanilla extract
- Crust:
- 141.75g about 1 heaping cup of crumbs (graham crackers or similar cookie)
- 236.59ml walnuts or pecans, optional, see note
- 25.56g brown sugar
- 51.12g unsalted butter, melted
- Apple Topping:
- 25.56g salted butter
- 2-3 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, core and diced (or combination of apple types)
- 59.15ml sugar
- 78.86ml brown sugar
- 8.52g ground cinnamon
- 0.53g ground allspice
- Pinch clove
- Pinch nutmeg
- 38.34g water
- 25.56g cornstarch
Three delicious layers that come together for one fantastic pie!
Preparation
STEP 1
In a medium bowl, stir together the egg yolks and cornstarch. Add heavy cream and salt and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
STEP 2
In a saucepan, whisk together the milk and maple syrup. Heat on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until small bubbles form, and it starts to steam, about 6 to 7 minutes. Slowly add about ½ cup of the warmed milk mixture to the egg yolk mixture while continuously whisking. This process is called tempering. Its purpose is to heat the yolks slowly, preventing them from curdling. Gradually add another ½ cup of the milk mixture and whisk again.
STEP 3
Pour the warmed egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard has thickened and is bubbling, about 10 minutes. The spatula/whisk will start leaving a trail when it has thickened enough.
STEP 4
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in vanilla extract and the butter a few pieces at a time.
STEP 5
Strain custard through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. This will help remove any curdled bits of egg. Place in fridge until ready to use.
STEP 6
Lightly butter a 9-inch-deep pie tin or dish.
STEP 7
Put the gingersnaps in a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. Add the nuts, and sugar and process again until everything is finely ground. Add the butter and process briefly to combine. Firmly pat the crust into the pie tin, covering bottom and up the sides. Chill in fridge until ready to use.
STEP 8
In a large skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chopped apple. In a small bowl combine the sugars and spices, sprinkle mixture over the apples. Stir together and let it cook for 6-8 minutes or until the apples soften, stirring occasionally.
STEP 9
In another small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Pour the slurry over the apples while stirring. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
STEP 10
Remove crust and custard from fridge. Scoop the custard onto the pie crust and gently smooth the top creating an even layer. Spoon the cooled apples onto the custard layer spreading it evenly over the top. Chill in fridge until ready to serve.
Options
If omitting the nuts, add 1/2 cup more cookie crumbs and 1 tablespoon more butter.
This crumb crust works best for pies that will not be baked after filling.
If you don’t have a processor, seal the cookies in a heavy-duty resealable bag and roll or bash with a rolling pin to crush the cookies.