From Scratch

Happily, for those of us who like both, it’s a bit of each.

In a nutshell, it’s a pumpkin pie with apples on the bottom. This is a new recipe for me and I can see it taking its place alongside the traditional pies during the holidays. It fairly screams autumn, and the scent while whisking the spices and sugar is intoxicating.

This was originally a 10″ pie, not too common in the US, so I’ve turned it into a 9″ deep-dish. There’s a lot of filling and I stopped pouring it on just before the danger zone; I had enough left to fill a custard cup for a crustless treat. You can use light cream in lieu of the half and half, although I mixed milk and cream. That’s what I’d likely do at the holidays, whipping the leftover cream at serving time. (That ghastly chemical cocktail called non-dairy whipped topping has no place in this house.)

I arranged the apple slices in a spiral. The original, sort of skimpy directions simply said to put them in the crust — as if I spent all that money for pastry school just to plop two apples into a pie shell – but if you don’t have the time or inclination to spiral, spread the apples in an even layer as possible so they cook evenly.

Deep Dish Pumpkin-Apple Pie

Adapted from The Apple Cookbook, Olwen Woodier

Unbaked pastry for one deep dish pie

2 cups tart baking apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4″ thick (2 medium apples)
1 scant TB unsalted butter (about 2 tsp)

1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg, preferably fresh-ground
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
pinch of salt

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/2 cups half-and-half, room temperature
OR
3/4 cup heavy cream plus 3/4 cup milk, room temperature

Line the pie plate, trim and crimp pastry as desired. Park in the fridge while you proceed.

Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425F/220C.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. When foaming subsides, add sliced apples, stir to coat, cover, reduce heat slightly and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Add wet ingredients and whisk until smooth, being careful not to overbeat.

Leaving any remaining butter in the skillet, arrange the apple slices in a spiral on the bottom of the pastry shell and pour the pumpkin mixture over it.

Bake at 425F/220C for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375F/190C and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until the pie is set except for a small area in the center (about the size of a quarter) or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. It needed 39 in my oven; please see my notes below. Let cool at least two hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers, bring back to room temp to serve.

Serves 8 - 10

Ella’s notes: The next time I make this I will lower the heat to 350 instead of 375 and let it bake a few minutes longer. The crust was a little too dark for my taste at 375. Also, a few tiny bubbles were on the surface, which I’ve never seen with a pumpkin pie. I imagine it has something to do with the apples on the bottom — air bubbles, perhaps? — so if you see a few, know that I did too.

Related: Custard Pies

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Tags: Christmas, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving