Delicious Apple Pie

This isn’t your average two-crust apple pie. The standard sugar-and-cornstarch coating gets boosted with half-and-half and a beaten egg, turning the filling into something between a fruit pie and a custard pie. The apples bake soft and the cream sets around them into a silky, slightly trembling custard.

Red Delicious apples are the original call here, though most pie bakers swap in firmer apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn that hold their shape better through the long bake. Red Delicious turn very soft, which works fine if that’s the texture you want.

The egg-and-cream mixture coats the apple slices and bakes into a custard between every layer. Cornstarch keeps the filling from going runny without leaving the chalky aftertaste a flour-thickened pie can have.

A milk wash and cinnamon-sugar topping turn the upper crust into a crackling, sparkling lid that adds a sweet-spiced finish to every slice. Don’t skip it.

Pro Tips

• Cool the pie for at least 2 hours before slicing. Cutting into a hot custard pie gives you a runny mess; the filling sets fully as it cools to room temperature.
• Cover the crust edges with foil if they brown faster than the center sets, around the 35-minute mark.
• Slit the top crust generously. Steam needs to escape, and a poorly vented pie bubbles over and pools custard onto your oven floor.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of bourbon or apple brandy to the egg-cream mix for grown-up flavor.
• Stir in a quarter cup of dried cranberries or raisins with the apples for tart-sweet pops.
• Swap the milk wash for an egg wash for a glossier, more golden top crust.