Fall
Apple Cider Chess Pie
- Prep time 1 hour
- Cook time 1 hour
- makes one 9-inch pie
Author Notes
I wanted to develop a better boiled cider pie than the one I've been making for years, so I used Sister Pie's salted maple pie as a template and added homemade boiled cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
The result is an intensely tart and fruity custard pie that's also very rich and sweet! The texture ends up close to a pumpkin pie after it's been chilled.
I use Erin McDowell's all-buttah pie dough, but feel free to use your favorite one, or even a storebought crust! —Joy Huang | The Cooking of Joy
What You'll Need
Ingredients
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Your favorite pie crust, blind baked and cooled
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4 cups
apple cider
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3
large eggs, divided
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Kosher salt
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1/2 cup
maple syrup
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1/4 cup
light or dark brown sugar
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1/4 cup
yellow cornmeal
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1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
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1/4 teaspoon
freshly grated nutmeg
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1
large egg yolk
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1/4 cup
heavy cream, at room temperature
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1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
Directions
- Boil the apple cider in a large saucepan until reduced to ~1/2 cup. When it gets close to that point, it will get thick and very bubbly so make sure to watch it closely so that it doesn't boil over. It should be about as thick as maple syrup and will get even thicker upon cooling. This may take around 20-30 minutes, depending on how large your pot. Transfer the boiled cider to a pint-sized measuring cup and allow to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In the same saucepan (no need to clean it), melt the butter. I like to brown my butter for extra flavor, but you can just melt it too.
- In the measuring cup that the boiled cider is in, add enough maple syrup to reach 1 cup total (i.e. ~1/2 cup of syrup). Add to the melted butter and whisk in the brown sugar, cornmeal, a pinch of salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl, whisk 1 egg with a splash of water and small pinch of salt. Brush the crimped edges of the blind-baked pie crust with the egg wash. Then add the remaining 2 eggs, egg yolk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract to the bowl and whisk to combine.
- Slowly add the egg mixture to the boiled cider mixture and whisk to combine. Place the pie crust on a parchment-lined baking sheet and pour the filling in until it reaches the bottom of the crimps (you may have some extra filling, in which case you can pour it into a small ramekin and bake it alongside the pie for a baker's treat).
- Bake for 45 - 60 minutes until the edges are puffy and the center only jiggles slightly. When done, wait until it has completely cooled to slice and serve. It will slice best if chilled in the refrigerator.
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