Apple Custard Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
180g plain flour
170g wholemeal flour
2g fine sea salt
226g cold unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes
130ml ice water, plus more as needed
Finish
1 egg lightly beaten
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top
Custard filling
470ml full cream milk, plus 30ml extra
10g vanilla paste
60g egg yolk
30g plain flour
20g cornflour
130g caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, thinly sliced
Apple filling
800g granny smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
60g unsalted butter
100g light brown sugar
100g dark brown sugar
20ml lemon juice
10g vanilla extract
10g cinnamon
3g fine sea salt
66g granulated sugar
30g all purpose flour
15g cornflour
Method
Pie crust
In a large bowl, combine the flours and salt. Add the butter, squishing the pieces with your finger tips and coating it in the flour, breaking it down until the pieces of butter are no bigger than small peas.
Make a well in the centre, then pour in the ice water and gently squeeze the mixture between your hands, until it comes together in a shaggy dough. Change to a kneading motion, ensuring you don’t over work the dough. If there are pockets of dry flour, slowly add a splash of water until hydrated enough. You don’t want it too dry, but you also don’t want it to be overly sticky.
Divide the dough in two, then form the dough into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.
Roll out one of the dough disks so it is 28-30cm in diameter. Place in a 24cm pie dish, trim the edges until there is about 1cm overhang, then gently fold the pastry under itself so it is flush with the pie plate to form the crust (if the dough is too soft to handle, place the pie in the fridge until it firms up again). Prick the bottom and sides with a fork to dock the dough.
Place the pie in the freezer for an hour. Preheat fan-forced oven to 200°C with rack positioned at the lower third, preferably with a baking stone or steel on it. Line the pie crust with foil, pressing it firmly against the sides and bottom so there is no air trapped in between. Fill to the brim with pie weights, or dried rice/beans. Bake for 17 minutes, gently remove the weights and foil and bake for another 3 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let the crust cool completely before filling.
2. Custard filling
Place 470ml of milk in a medium saucepan with the vanilla paste. Heat over medium high heat. Just before boiling point, remove from the heat and set aside.
Whisk together the remaining milk, egg yolks, flours and sugar in medium sized heat proof bowl. Add half of the hot milk, continually whisking until well combined. Now add the remaining milk, combine, then pour back into the saucepan and continue to whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Allow it to come to boiling point (stop whisking and look for bubbles to pop in the centre of the custard) then keep whisking for another 20 seconds. Remove from the heat, then add the sliced butter and whisk until well combined and smooth. Pour into a plastic bowl or container and cover with cling wrap pressed directly against the surface of the custard. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Apple filling
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the apples, stir to coat in butter, then add the brown sugars, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk together the flours and granulated sugar. Scatter over the mixture and stir well until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Set aside in a plastic bowl or container to cool completely.
4. Assemble the pie
Preheat oven to 200°C with rack positioned at the lower third, preferably with a baking stone or steel on it.
Roll out the remaining dough disk, then slice into 1.5cm strips, long enough to arrange over the pie with a slight over hang. Place in the fridge.
Spread the custard into the pie crust, ensuring the mixture is pushed all the way to the sides of the pie and is evenly levelled. Now gently pour the apple filling on top, again levelling off with an offset spatula.
Lightly brush the pie crust edges with egg wash. Arrange the two longest strips of dough perpendicular to each other across the centre of the pie. Start arranging the next longest strips parallel to the first two in both directions, weaving in an alternating under-over pattern. You'll have to fold every other strip up and back as you work, replacing them over each new strip placed in the opposite direction. Continue to weave the remaining strips, alternating the under-over motion to form a lattice. Press firmly where the strips come into contact with the egg wash on the bottom crust and then trim off the excess and fold under the crust to secure.
Keep the offcuts and roll out and slice again if you need more strips.
Lightly brush the lattice with egg wash, then sprinkle with raw sugar.
Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling through the lattice and the pie is deeply golden. If the crust begins to brown too quickly, carefully tent with foil for the remainder of the cook time.
Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. If you want to eat it warm, allow for the pie to cool completely first and then slice and warm up to ensure the pie filling is properly set!