An Applesauce Custard Pie Recipe With Homemade Crust, a luscious homemade applesauce and gratifying pie crust with cinnamon and cloves.
Autumn Inspired Applesauce
The time of the year inspired most, by a harvest of fresh apples for our recipes, is apple season in the Autumn.
I like to think of this applesauce pie as an apple pie variation, that simply comes together much faster than a traditional Apple Pie.
Quite honestly, I am so sure that you will love this applesauce alone, that you’ll find yourself making just the applesauce to serve as a side dish along with pork or Turkey Dishes.
A Great Applesauce Pie Recipe Starts With Homemade Applesauce
Whether you are a chunky applesauce lover or a smooth custard textured applesauce lover, this applesauce pie has just the right options for you.
It is an easy recipe that comes together quickly, as it is a ‘no roll pie crust‘ that is easily pressed into the pan for a more rustic pie.
Also the applesauce, with Apple Cider and a bit of bourbon or rum, has the best flavor and cooks quickly.
Apples And Apple Pie Spice
Who wouldn’t love tart juicy apples, cloves, cinnamon and brown sugar, a smidge of cream and a splash of bourbon, for an apple custard in a pie crust!
We love the flavor so much, in the crisp air of Autumn, that candles with that same smell start flying off the shelves in the stores.
Apple Pie Spice In The Quick Homemade Crust
You would be amazed at how delicious a pie crust can taste with teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of cloves in it.
Almost like a cookie, instead of a butter pie crust, this rustic pie crust is my absolute favorite for many other pies I bake.
For a quick Pecan Pie or tart, I use this crust, Fig Tart or just a simple custard of eggs, cream and a teaspoon vanilla extract.
The crust is almost a dessert in and of itself.
Phyllo Trash Pie Crust
Oh boy do I have a fun tip for you!
Making a homemade pie crust is easy enough, but how about another easy way to make a pie crust?
If you cook with phyllo dough, like when you make Baklava, Apple Baklava, certainly Spanakopita or Grandmas Mac and Cheese Crab Rolls, you know there is often ripped, stuck or leftover phyllo dough.
Chop the remaining phyllo dough you might otherwise throw in the trash, into lots of strips and freeze it until you need to make a pie crust.
Then simply thaw, mix in a little melted butter, sugar and spice and press it into the bottom of a pie crust.
It bakes to a crisp finish and makes great use of your time and your trash!
The Simplicity Of An Open Custard Pie
Not every apple pie needs a crust on top.
If an apple custard pie is baked open and without a crust, the natural sugars in the apple caramelizes in the heat, which gives a golden color and deeper flavor to the apples.
Sometimes I like to take a few pie crust scraps left over, roll them out and press a few shapes to lay across the top before baking but still leave the apples exposed.
For this applesauce pie, placing a thin round slice of an unpeeled apple on top, makes for a lovely finish to this custard pie.
Ice Cream On Top?
Who wants vanilla ice cream when you can have Fennel Blossom Ice Cream which heightens the apple flavor in a way you’d have to taste to believe!
This fennel pollen ice cream recipe, I just created this year, made from both fennel flowers and its pollen with a splash of fennel flavor liquor, will fast become a favorite over numerous fruit filling pies.
What Makes For A Great Applesauce Mixture?
While everyone has their own favorite type of apple to eat, often cooking apples will weaken their flavor.
For this reason, a great applesauce, requires apples with a little more tartness and flavor than we might prefer when eating raw.
Also, the addition of cinnamon and cloves, adds a warm dimension to the flavor of the apple, when cooked down into a sauce.
Can’t go wrong either with a splash of bourbon in the sauce while it cooks down.
The alcohol cooks out but that extra flavor makes it have a more ‘grown up’ flavor for an applesauce.
A Great Pie Starts With A Homemade Crust
If you are shy to work with pie pastry because it may seem too finicky, breathe a sigh of relief, because this pie crust is simple!
This easy and quick homemade pie crust is more likened to a cookie dough and is simply pressed into the pan and not rolled out.
See, I told you this was a great pie!
More Apple Recipes To Love
Apple pie didn’t become America’s national dessert without some interesting reasons.
Whatever the historic and perhaps presidential reasons, we just love apples cooked in a variety of ways!
But first, we need to go pick some apples!
Equipment Needed
- 9-inch Pie Plate or 4 tart pans
- Food processor, blender or immersion blender which I love using each of these for various different jobs.
- Saucepan
- Measuring cup and spoons
- Baking sheet with 1 sheet of parchment paper
- Vegetable peeler
- Cutting board and knife
- Stovetop
- Oven
Ingredients Needed
- Apples – your choice
- Apple cider
- Sugar – white or brown
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Butter
- Eggs
- Mascarpone
- Bourbon or rum
- All purpose flour
- Ground almonds
- Ground oats
Applesauce Custard Pie With Homemade Crust
Equipment
- 9-inch Pie Plate
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- Apple Sauce Ingredients
- 4 Fresh Apples 1 extra for garnish (optional)
- 2 tbsp Apple Cider 2 tbsp lemon juice can also be used
- 1/2 cup Sugar white sugar for a light colored custard or brown sugar for a darker hue
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Cloves
- 1 tbsp Butter
- Pie Filling Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Mascarpone
- 1 shot Bourbon or rum
- Homemade Pie Crust Ingredients
- 8 tbsp Butter cold
- 1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup Ground Almonds
- 1/4 cup Ground Oats
- 1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1 tbsp Cold water as needed
Instructions
- Applesauce Instructions
- Peel, core and rough chop your bunch of apples and place in a large saucepan with sugar, cider, spices and butter. Simmer on low for about 20-30 minutes, until soft. Cool.
- With an immersion blender, whisk the apples until they are the texture you prefer your applesauce, leaving chunks of apple or puree to smooth. This step can also be done in a food processor or blender if you don't have an immersion blender. Transfer the applesauce to a large bowl.Whisk in the eggs, mascarpone and bourbon until light and creamy. Set aside.
- Pie Dough Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet, helps if there are drips.
- In the food processor, or large bowl with a pastry blender, add the cold butter, and remaining ingredients, except the water, and whisk together, adding a little cold water if needed to form a ball of dough.
- A rolling pin is not needed since this pie dough is easily pressed into the pie pan or tart pans, making for a rustic pie shell loaded with texture and flavor.
- Transfer the applesauce custard filling to the prepared baking dish or dishes.
- Should you want to place a thin, round slice of an unpeeled apple on top for a splash of color and contrast of textures in both a baked apple and an applesauce, now is the time to lay a thin slice on top.
- Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 25-40 minutes and the center is firm. The cooking time will depend on the size of the pan used. Transfer the pie plate or tart pans to a wire rack so that they can cool on all sides.
Video
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.