Recipes & Food Styling

For St. Patrick’s Day – and “PI” Day: Apple Custard Pie

On “PI” Day – a few days before St. Patrick’s Day – I had lots of apples on hand and wanted to find a way to make something “Irish” with them. I came up with the perfect idea: I gave my usual Apple Pie a terrifically tasty Irish twist with the custard from the Apple Meringue recipe that Gale Gand contributed to my book: Apple Meringue! Apple Meringue was one of those cozy celtic classics that was served in first class aboard the Titanic. This new take on Apple Pie turned out so good, I’ll be making it again. 

Apple Custard Pie

4 Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Juice of 6 lemons

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 pie crusts

3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon

In saucepan on stovetop, bring apples, lemon juice, sugar and water to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. 

Pour apple mixture into bottom pie crust. top with *custard sauce. Cover with top pie crust. Crimp edges of pie crust all around. Create a cut on top of pie for ventilation; or use a pie bird. Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes.

*Custard Sauce – By Gale Gand

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks (reserving the whites)

⅔ cup granulated sugar

⅛ teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, warm the milk until simmering. In a separate bowl, combine the yolks, sugar, and salt with a whisk until combined well, then add the cornstarch and whisk more. Gradually drizzle in the hot milk while whisking to combine. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook on medium heat to thicken it. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.