The entire house smells like apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg

Wow! Thanksgiving was brillant; coming down with the flu not so much. I had planned to bake this pie on Saturday, but my body would not cooperate. This is turning into a tradition (not the flu) baking this Almond Custard Apple Pie and decorating the house. DF and Sydney to my surprise decorated most of the house; they know I love to put the village together and The Crèche so they waited for me to feel better to set those up.

Sydney designed the flavors for this pie

Seven years ago, while were living in New Jersey, Sydney and I were tossing ideas off one another for a dessert to start the Christmas season. Sydney, of course wanted the dessert to have almond flavor, and I had  9 extra apples left from Thanksgiving, with those two ingredients in hand Fancy Almond Apple Pie was born. Even the crust has almond flour.

Fancy Custard Apple Pie:

• ▪ 2-recipes Pâte Sucrée aux Amandes, one for the crust and the other for the leaves
• 125 grams/ ½ -cup butter, cubed and cold
• 62 grams/ ½ -cup icing sugar
• 18 grams/1 egg yolk room temperature
• 200 grams/1 7/8-cup pastry flour
• 50 grams/1/2-cup almond flour
• Pinch of salt
• 28-52 grams/ 2- 4 Tablespoons ice cold water

Prepare your mise en place.

Mise en place

In the bowl of a food processor  add butter, almond flour and sugar pulse between 10 to 15 times, or until the almonds and sugar is no longer visible.

Use the pulse button and check after 8 pulses

Add flour and salt pulse 15 more times, or until the butter is the size of peas.

I generally check the butter size after 7 pulses

In a small bowl whisk the egg yolk and ½ of the water, add to the flour mixture, and pulse about 5 to 8 more times till amalgamated.  If the dough does not come together add the rest of the water through the feeding tube and pulse about 3 to 4 times.

Add 2 Tablespoons of water to the egg and keep 2 Tablespoons in reserve.

Dump the pie dough onto a cold lightly floured work surface and gently press the dough together.  Knead the dough until it comes together. Flatten the dough into a 15 cm/6-inch disk, wrap with plastic film and store in the refrigerator for 30 to 40 minutes.

Sprinkle enough flour just to prevent the dough from sticking

 Remove the pastry dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured workspace roll the dough out to a 10-inch circle. Keep the excess dough. Transfer to a pie pan and place in the refrigerator for at least 1-hour.

Turn the dough a quarter turn each time. Rolling out from the center

Fold the dough in half and in a half again, place the corner of the dough in the middle of a 10-inch pie pan. Carefully cut away the excess.

Don't worry too much about the edges, they will be covered with matching dough leaves

Place the dough in the refrigerator over night covered with plastic film.  Once dough is chilled preheat the oven to 220 degrees C/425 degrees F for about 1o minutes.

Blind bake the crust; line the pastry dough with either tinfoil or parchment paper and line with pie weights or beans.

I find these ceramic pie weights give a little more weight than beans

Bake for twenty minutes, remove carefully the weights, reduce the heat to 164 degrees C/325 degrees F and prick with a fork, the sides and bottom. Continue to cook for 7 to 10 minutes, the crust should be a pale golden brown.

Allow the pie to cool on a cooling rack. Once completely cooled add the Almond Custard Filling.

Prior to pulsing

It is easier for me to pour the custard into a measuring jug and than pour into the pie

 The apples and the leaves of dough will be explained tomorrow.

A japanese vegetable cutter works great too

 Christmas Apple Pie.

Voila!