On a rainy evening, this pie was a welcome bit of indulgence. Made with apples picked from our trees several weeks ago, it is a comforting, not-too-sweet dessert that evokes comfort and autumn goodness.
I adapted it from a recipe by Patricia Wells in her cookbook Bistro Cooking. Her Tarte aux Pommes à la Crème is thinner and I wanted a heartier pie, so I came up with this version.
For a crust, I used Anna Olson's recipe.
Cream and Apple Pie
1 pastry shell, 9-10 inch, partially baked (I lined my pastry shell with crumpled parchment paper and pie weights - dried beans in this case) and baked it at 375 for 20 minutes, removed the weights and paper, and baked it for another 5 or 10 minutes, just until set, but not browned on the bottom
4 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
6 Tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon good vanilla
6-7 cooking apples (I used Liberty apples)
Whisk together the egg yolks, cream, vanilla, and 4 tablespoons of the sugar. Set aside while you prepare the apples.
Peel and core the apples, quarter them and cut them into thick slices. Arrange in the par-baked pastry shell.
Pour the cream mixture over top. It will not cover all of the apples.
Sprinkle the remaining two tablespoons of sugar over top.
Bake at 375 degrees until the apples are tender. I baked it for at least 1 1/2 hours, covering the pie with aluminum foil for part of the time so as not to burn the crust. Keep checking for apples all bake at different times.
Serve warm with a drizzle of caramel sauce.
