French Apple-Custard Pie

Ingredients

FOR THE FILLING

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 lbs baking apples, such as pink lady peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (4-6 apples) or honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (4-6 apples)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons dark rum (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt, divided
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

FOR THE CRUST

• 1 9-inch pie shell (placed in glass pie plate)

FOR THE ALMOND TOPPING

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 pinch table salt

Directions

1. 1

   FOR THE APPLES & FILLING:.

2. 2

   Preheat oven to 325°.

3. 3

   Melt the 2 tablespoons butter for the apple filling in a large sauté pan over medium heat.

4. 4

   Add apples and 2 tablespoons sugar; sauté until apples are soft but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes.

5. 5

   Remove from heat & stir in rum and 1/8 teaspoons salt.

6. 6

   Spread apples over the bottom of the prebaked pie crust.

7. 7

   Thoroughly whisk together this mixture before pouring it over the apples in the crust: eggs, egg yolks, cream, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and remaining 1/8 teaspoons salt; pour over apples in pie crust.

8. 8

   Bake pie until custard is barely set in center, about 30 minutes.

9. 9

   FOR THE ALMOND TOPPING:.

10. 10

    Combine almonds, 1/3 cup sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter for the almond topping in a bowl.

11. 11

    Remove pie from the oven; sprinkle pie with topping.

12. 12

    Cover pie with a pie shield if the edge of the crust seems to be overbrowning.

13. 13

    Return pie to oven; bake until custard is almost set but still slightly jiggly in the center, 15–20 minutes more.

14. 14

    Completely cool pie before slicing, or chill pie, then bring it to room temperature when ready to serve.

15. 15

    *Use a pie shield to prevent pie crust from burning. You can buy a premade shield or make your own. Fold a 9" piece of 36" wide foil into thirds so it measures 3x36". Wrap it around the edge of the pie, crimping the shield where the ends of the foil meet.