I thought I’d share my husband’s all-time favorite pie with you today. It’s an interesting twist on the typical apple pie, and it would make a great Thanksgiving-day dessert. I’ll explain the pie in a minute, but first I want to take a moment to talk about my husband– because that’s way more fun.
Radd. Yep, that’s his real, full, first name. The one his parents made-up and named him, though according to family lore, it was mostly his mom’s choice. I think it’s one of the best names I’ve ever heard. And I’ve never heard anyone else with it– it’s unique, which suits him. Radd and I started dating in high school, a looong time ago. He had this gangly teenage-boy body that looked too small for his large head, while I was sporting huge early 90’s hair to go with my rolled jeans, and a mouth full of braces. We really were just kids. We ventured off to college together and he became my home, so to speak. You know that feeling– that wherever you are together is home and quite possibly the most comfortable place in the world. Yes, that feeling. Why am I writing about this now? Well, we recently celebrated Radd’s 40th birthday. And while I was excited to celebrate this milestone with him, I was also taken aback. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this boy I’ve been with for 23 years is now a middle-aged man. Where did the time go? At any rate, I adore him. He’s intelligent, hilarious, bizarre (in a great way), and an incredible dad. Not to mention, he understands me– I mean really gets me. Which is probably the most important thing of all.
Now to the pie that I made Radd for his birthday. This Sour Cream Apple pie is his favorite. Full Stop. The recipe comes from my Mom– she made it for him once many years ago and he’s loved it ever since. It’s a delicious apple crumble-like pie with a lovely slightly tart sour cream custard-like filling. There are notes of nutmeg (which is one of my favorite spices) and cinnamon. Taken as a whole, it’s pretty amazing. This pie is perfect for Thanksgiving, or any type of entertaining, because it actually gets better if it’s left in the refrigerator for a day. The custard has time to set up and the flavors seem to meld even more after a bit of time. Though, I know that some of you prefer a warm apple pie, so feel free to bake it at the last minute. Whichever you prefer, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
Need more great Holiday dessert ideas? This Brown Butter Pumpkin Layer Cake and this Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie remain some of my all-time favorites.
The Recipe: Sour Cream and Apple Pie
Use 1/2 of this all-butter pie crust recipe
1 cup full-fat sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I like mine to have a definite nutmeg taste so I use 1/2 teaspoon)
2 cups diced apples ( about 4 apples)
For the Crumble Topping:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
Follow the recipe and instructions from this recipe to prepare the pie dough. Either make the entire recipe for the dough, and save half for later. Or simply make only half of the recipe. You decide.
Pre-heat your oven to 400°F.
To make the Crumble Topping: In a small bowl, stir the dry ingredients together with a fork. Then, using that fork, cut the butter into the mixture until it’s crumbly and all of the dry ingredients are incorporated into the butter. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To make the Pie Filling, beat together the first seven ingredients in a medium-sized bowl until smooth. Gently stir in the apples. Set aside.
Shape the pie dough in a 9-inch pie plate. Pour the apple/sour cream filling into the pie. Bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350°F for 30 minutes. Remove pie from oven and add the crumble mixture to the top of the pie. Return to oven and increase the heat to 400°F and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a cooling rack. Cover and place in the refrigerator if wanting to serve it cold. Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by today!
Laurie
Relishing It 