I have made this apple pie for over 30 years, with some changes to increase the flavor. I use Granny Smith apples for baking which are tart. A disclaimer this pie is very rich, but sometimes you just have to let go and indulge.  You can’t eat low-fat cottage cheese and fruit every day. I just tell myself an extra hot yoga class, and this piece of the pie has my name on it.

French Custard Apple Pie

Crust

1 3/4 cup flour, King Arthur Flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 lb of butter

2/3 teaspoon salt

6-7 tablespoon apple cider or water

Filling

6 large Granny Smith or Macintosh apples pared and diced (you can use a combination or just one kind of apple. I like the Granny Smith because they are tart and this is a sweet pie)

1 2/3 cups sour cream

1 egg(2 if small)

1 cup of sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon vanilla or 1 tablespoon Brandy

1/3 cup flour

Topping

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 stick butter

Crust: Combine all the ingredients except the apple cider in a food processor, and pulse until combined. Add one tablespoon of cider at a time and pulse after each addition. The dough will form a softball. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface 2 inches larger than the pie plate, and fit a 10-inch pie plate. This is a soft cookie-like dough, so I lightly dust the pie plate with flour before I fit the dough. This will prevent the pie crust from sticking when you cut the pie. Fold and roll pastry under and flute.

Filling: Mix filling ingredients together and fill the pie shell. Bake for 450 10 minutes, then 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Blend the topping ingredients together and place them on top of the pie. Bake for additional 15 minutes.

Enjoy!