Cream and Apple Pie

 

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. 

One-crust Apple Pie

 

Apples picked from our trees in the fall, combined with enough pastry in the freezer for a single-crust inspired me to look for a suitable pie recipe. I found one in the Mennonite Treasury of Recipes, first published in 1962, and a classic in my growing up years. I adapted the recipe slightly and am pleased with the result.

One-crust Apple Pie

1 pastry crust, rolled and placed in a 9 or 10 inch pie plate

Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced to generously fill the pastry shell - I used a combination of Liberty and Akane apples

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1 Tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the above and pour it over the apples. Dot the apples with

2 Tablespoons of butter in small pieces

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over - about 1 Tablespoon. 

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 40-60 minutes, or more. The original recipe recommended just 30 minutes, but in order for the pastry to cook thoroughly, and for the flour taste to disappear from the brown sugar mixture, it needed much longer. 

Rhubarb Custard Pie

 

Our rhubarb plant is huge this year. I had some leftover pastry in the freezer and decided to make a Rhubarb Custard Pie. The pastry was a bit skimpy but I was able to roll out a decent crust, which I then blind baked before adding the filling. It's a pie that tastes best cold, I think. A bit of whipping cream would be a good topping, although it was fine without. 

Rhubarb Custard Pie

1 9-inch blind-baked pie crust

4 cups diced fresh rhubarb

1/4 cup sugar

Mix the above and place the rhubarb into the crust.

Whisk together the following ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/2 - 1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

3 eggs

2/3 cup cream (I used table cream - 18%)

2 Tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour the filling over the rhubarb and place in the oven. You may want to put the pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet in case of spills. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie

Rhubarb's early appearance in the garden is a welcome sight after a long winter. Early settlers to North America considered it an aid to digestion and good health after a winter of eating preserved foods. 

The creamy baked topping on this pie is a perfect foil for the tart, fruity rhubarb filling. Although the recipe calls for an unbaked pie crust, I used a graham crust since I didn't feel like making pie pastry. We'll see how it turns out when I cut the pie. (edited to add: turned out just fine)

Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F).

1 uncooked pie crust (10 inch)

Line a deep 10 inch pie plate with the pie crust and set aside. 

Filling:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup water
3-4 cups chopped fresh rhubarb (cut into 1/2 inch sized pieces)

In a medium saucepan mix the sugar and cornstarch. Add the water and stir to combine. Stir in the fresh rhubarb. Cook over medium high heat, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture thickens and turns clear.

Pour rhubarb mixture into pie shell and bake for 10 minutes.

While the pie bakes, prepare the topping.

Topping:

1 package (8 oz) softened cream cheese 
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until smooth.
Pour over the hot rhubarb.

Reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees. Return the pie to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. The topping should be golden brown. 

Cool thoroughly and serve with freshly whipped cream.

Edited June 16/23: I had so many ripe strawberries that I added one cup of them, coarsely chopped, to the rhubarb mixture and it was delicious! A great option!