Grandma's Authentic Dutch Apple Pie with Custard
This is an authentic dutch apple pie recipe, and it has a secret ingredient that makes it way creamier than other apple pies: a layer of custard. Almost every Dutch person knows how to make an apple pie, so you should have one in your arsenal as well, anywhere you go in the Netherlands, any family house or café, you can get apple pie. Weigh all your ingredients before you start.
Ingredients
- 500 g flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs, beaten (3/4 goes in the dough, 1/4 is for glazing the top)
- 250 g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g butter, slightly colder than room temperature
- a pinch salt
- 100 g raisins, soaked in water to swell up
- 1 kg apples (I recommend Jonagold or Golden Reinette)
- juice of 1 lemon
- 75 g sugar
- 1–2 tbsp cinnamon
- 4 egg yolks
- 50 g sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (Maizena)
- 200 ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- to taste whipped cream, unsweetened (the pie is sweet enough)
Method
The dough
- 1
Mix the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl; set aside.
- 2
Beat the 2 eggs like there's no tomorrow. Set aside.
- 3
In another bowl, combine the 250 g sugar with 3/4 of the egg mixture (the last 1/4 is for the nice brown glazing later) and the vanilla extract. Pour it into the flour.
- 4
Throw the flour mixture onto the work surface, put the butter on top of the pile and massage it into the dough. A bench scraper is really handy for scraping dough pieces back toward the ball, this brought back memories of culinary school, where I made shortcrust pastry all the time.
- 5
You should end up with a smooth, non-sticky dough ball. Tap and slap it into a square shape.
- 6
Take a quarter of the dough for the top, roll it thin between two sheets of plastic wrap and put it in the fridge (or the freezer if you want to work fast).
- 7
Roll the rest between plastic wrap to around 35 to 37 cm in diameter, bonus points if you keep it nicely round.
- 8
Butter a 23 cm cake form well. For a round piece of parchment: fold it into an airplane, then a jet, measure it against the form and cut off the excess.
- 9
Lay the dough into the form. Don't stress if it goes in ugly, this dough is really moldable, and you press it into the sides with your fingers anyway. Cover with plastic wrap and into the fridge.
The filling
- 10
Set the raisins in water so they swell up, only takes a few minutes.
- 11
Peel the apples completely, halve them, and cube them around 2 to 3 cm. Some people like smaller pieces; I like bigger pieces.
- 12
Pour the lemon juice over the apples against browning, then mix in the raisins, the 75 g sugar and the cinnamon. Set aside.
The custard
- 13
Beat the egg yolks with the 50 g sugar and the cornstarch; set aside.
- 14
Bring the milk and vanilla extract slowly to a boil in a saucepan. Off the heat, whisk in the egg mixture.
- 15
Back on the heat, keep whisking until it boils and the consistency gets thicker and thicker. Let it cool slightly.
Assembly and baking
- 16
Spread a thin layer of custard on the dough base, then fill it to the top with the apple filling, evenly spread. Add some more custard on top for extra creaminess.
- 17
Top with the chilled dough: cut it into strips and lattice them over the pie, or be lazy like me and crumble it over, a bit more rustic, and I prefer that.
- 18
Brush the remaining egg mixture over the top.
- 19
Bake around 1 hour at 170°C, preheated and fully hot. Check that it's nicely golden brown.
- 20
Let it cool completely before serving. Whip the cream in the meantime. Cut a nice slice, put on some whipped cream, and voilà.
12 tools I used.
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