French Apple-Custard Pie

By calypan

Ingredients

• FOR THE FILLING, MELT:
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 lb. baking apples such as Pink Lady or Honeycrisp, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (4–6 total)
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. dark rum (optional)
• 1 ⁄4 tsp. table salt, divided
• 1 9" refrigerated pie crust
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 ⁄2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 ⁄8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• FOR THE ALMOND TOPPING, COMBINE:
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 ⁄3 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• Pinch of table salt

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325°.

For the filling, melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add apples and 2 Tbsp. sugar; sauté until apples are soft but not mushy, 8–10 minutes. Stir in rum and 1⁄8 tsp. salt. Spread apples over the bottom of the crust.

Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, cream, 1⁄2 cup sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and remaining 1⁄8 tsp. salt; pour over apples in pie crust. Bake pie until custard is barely set in center, about 30 minutes.

For the almond topping, combine almonds, 1⁄3 cup sugar, and 2 Tbsp. softened butter in a bowl. Remove pie from oven; sprinkle with topping. Cover pie with a pie shield if the edge of the crust seems to be overbrowning.

Return pie to oven; bake until custard is almost set but still slightly jiggly in the center, 15–20 minutes more. Completely cool pie before slicing, or chill pie, then bring to room temperature when ready to