Name: Marlborough Apple Pie
Total time: 5 h 30 min
Cuisine: New EnglandAmericanUS & Canada
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 Granny Smith apples , peeled and shredded (2 cups); 2 Fuji, Gala or Golden Delicious apples , peeled and shredded (2 cups); 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces/99 grams) sugar; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground mace; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3 large eggs , lightly beaten; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 5 tablespoons dry sherry; 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 9-inch parbaked pie shell , cooled

Why This Recipe Works

This lesser-known New England dessert combines the comforting apple-and-spice flavors of traditional apple pie with silky custard. Using equal parts sweet and tart apples gave us just the right balance of flavor. Grated apples leached moisture into the custard, making it grainy, but a quick sauté in melted butter evaporated moisture (thereby concentrating flavor) and softened the fruit to tender perfection. We enhanced sweet, rich custard with lemon, vanilla, and a dose of sherry before combining it with the apples. Then we baked the whole thing in our favorite pie shell, which we had parbaked to keep the crust flaky and crisp.

Before You Begin

Find our recipe for Single-Crust Pie Dough (see related content) or use your favorite store-bought dough; prebake according to the recipe instructions. Shred the apples on the large holes of a box grater. Store the pie in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add apples and cook, stirring frequently, until pan is dry and apples have softened, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer apples to bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Whisk sugar, cinnamon, mace, and salt together in large bowl. Add eggs, cream, sherry, lemon zest, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add cooled apples and stir to combine.

Pour mixture into pie shell and bake until center is just set, about 40 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack, about 4 hours. Serve.