Description
A twist on a classic French custard dessert, this apple cider crème brûlée pie is the perfect dessert to bring to a holiday party. The custard is infused with apple cider reduction and vanilla and cooked in a buttery, flaky crust.
Equipment:
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Homemade Pie Crust
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup ice water
Crème Brûlée
- 2 cups apple cider
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus more for brûlée topping
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 6 egg yolks
Instructions
- Make the pie crust. In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Pulse a few times to mix. Then add cubed cold butter. Pulse several times until a grainy mix starts to form. Then run the food processor while slowly adding 1 tbsp of ice cold water at a time until 3-4 tablespoons are added. A ball of dough will start to form in the food processor. Turn off the processor, and turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Form a ball with the dough then wrap it and place it in the refrigerator to set for about 30 minutes.
- Par-bake the pie crust. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Roll out the pie crust between two pieces of parchment paper until it is about 10-12 inches in diameter. Remove the top sheet or parchment paper and place a greased pie dish upside down onto the center of the pie crust. Flip the dish and crust upside down and gently press the crust into the pie dish. Remove the parchment paper, then poke some holes with a fork into the bottom of the crust. Cut off any excess dough around the edges of the pie dish. Use your fingers to crimp the edges of the dough. Cover the bottom of the pie with parchment or aluminum foil and place pie weights in the center (if you don’t have pie weights, you can use uncooked rice or another pie dish). Bake the crust for 15 minutes, then remove the weights and parchment paper and bake for 5 more minutes. Let cool. Reduce the heat of the oven to 300ºF.
- Make the apple cider reduction. Pour the apple cider into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. As soon as it starts to boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until reduced to about 1/3-1/2 cup. Remove from the heat and let it cool.
- Warm the cream. In a medium pot, combine heavy cream, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Whisk until sugar and salt is dissolved. Heat the cream just until it steams and barely starts to bubble. Then remove from the heat.
- Make the custard. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and slowly whisk in the cooled apple cider reduction. Slowly pour in the heavy cream mixture, whisking constantly to ensure the cream does not cook the egg yolks.
- Bake the pie. Pour the custard filling into the par-baked pie crust. Carefully transfer the pie into the 300ºF oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the pie is set but still has a slight jiggle. Let it cool for 1 hour at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- Brûlée the pie. Just before serving, pass 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar through a fine mesh sieve to ensure there are no clumps in the sugar. Then sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top of the pie. Use a butane kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar. Be careful not to linger the flame in one section for too long, as the sugar will brown quickly. Move the flame slowly around the pie until it reaches a deep amber color. Let the pie cool for one minute to allow the torched sugar to harden, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 335
- Sugar: 15.7 g
- Sodium: 77.9 mg
- Fat: 24.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.8 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 157.5 mg
