Apple cider pie: Taking a chance on a fresh fall recipe
By: Critical Kitchen
Tags: Recipe, Autumn, Baking, Apple, Dessert

Prize-winning apple cider pie, November 2019.

Late-night baking for the B’Eat More Pie contest

If you’re looking for a new, comforting pie option this fall, give apple cider pie a try. The custardy filling of this cream pie is flavored with reduced apple cider, which shines a light on the fruit in a fun and interesting way.

I had been looking forward to baking an apple cider pie for a few weeks leading up to the 2019 B’Eat More Pie contest, this year hosted by Baltimore’s Village Learning Place. I originally baked apple cider pie a few years ago, after receiving First Prize Pies by Allison Kave as a gift. There it’s titled Jay’s Apple Cider Cream Pie and paired with a tantalizing photo of a pie with a vibrant golden filling, glistening in the bright kitchen light and adorned with a cloud of fresh whipped cream.

The contest came on a Friday night, at the end of an exhausting work week. To ease the time pressure, I prepared the crusts for my pair of pies and reduced my apple cider in advance, but in the end, Thursday night was still a bit of a disaster.

The pies took much longer to cook than expected. As I was willing them to set so I could go to sleep, I dug into my tiny taste-test ramekin of extra filling, which baked up more quickly that the full-size pies. And…it was terrible. In the tiny container, the custard filling had cooked too quickly. The texture was all wrong. The flavors also hadn’t had time to sit and come together, so it was all much too subtle. Lumpy and boring — not a great start.

By midnight, when I finally pulled the full-size pies out of the oven, I was feeling pretty low — exhausted and uncertain if the pies would be any good. I wondered out loud if it was too late to start new pies. (It was.) In the end, I went to bed and hoped for the best.

In hindsight, I should have had more confidence in the recipe and in myself. In the light of the morning, I was able to see how beautifully the buttery crust turned out and that the filling looked evenly cooked. Plus, fresh whipped cream helps everything.

That evening, after work, I brought my pies to the library for judging and a community taste-test. The 14-pie competition was fierce: two key limes, traditional apple and pumpkin pies, a green tomato pie, and a gorgeous Hubbard squash creation. But to my surprise and delight, the apple cider pies were a hit.

Two hours later, I learned the apple cider pies had won first place. And I felt incredibly thankful that I hadn’t let my worries get the best of me.

The recipe: Apple cider pie

Adapted from “First Prize Pies” by Allison Kave

Classic Pie Crust (for two single-crust pies or one double-crust pie)

1 cup (2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

12 ounces (3 cups) unbleached all purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Filling

1 1/2 cups apple cider

4 large eggs

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Make the crust

Cut the chilled butter into 1/2-inch cubes (try using a bench scraper for this). Freeze pieces until ready to use. In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the milk and vinegar. On a clean flat surface or in a large shallow bowl, toss the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt together lightly to blend. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and quickly cut it into the flour until it becomes small, pea-sized chunks. (Use a straight up-and-down motion, rather than twisting your wrists, as pressing on the flour too much will toughen the dough.) Spread the flour mixture out gently and gently drizzle about half of the milk mixture over the flour, trying to cover as wide an area as you can. Using a large spoon, lightly toss the flour over the liquid, spread everything out again, and repeat the process with the second half of the liquid. Your dough should now just hold together when pressed against the bowl. Little chunks of butter should remain visible. If you need to add more liquid to bind it, do so with more cold milk, adding a tablespoon at a time until you reach the right texture. Cover the dough tightly in plastic wrap (or beeswax wrap) and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour. The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 week, well-wrapped, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Remember, this pie will use only half that dough, since it’s a single-crust pie.

Assemble the Pie

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roll out the dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Transfer it to a 9-inch tart pan or pie plate, tuck the overhang under, and crimp decoratively. Blind-bake the crust until partially baked (fill with weights and bake for 10–15 mins); set it aside to cool. Lower the oven to 350ºF. To make the filling: Boil the cider in a small saucepan over high heat until it has reduced down to 3/4 cup (180 ml), 15 to 20 minutes. Let it cool. (If you do this step ahead, the reduced cider will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge, or 2 months in the freezer.) In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, sour cream, and salt until fully blended. Slowly drizzle in the reduced cider and whisk to fully incorporate. Put the pie crust on a baking sheet. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling has just set and is still slightly wobbly in the center. Remove the pie to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 1 hour. To make the topping, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and cinnamon until soft peaks form. Pile the whipped cream on top of the fully cooled pie and serve.

Note: This pie can be made ahead, without the topping, and refrigerated for up to 1 week, covered in plastic wrap. Add the topping just before serving.

Variations and tips

I enjoy a very buttery crust, but not too much of it. So, for this pie I actually made 1½ recipes of the pie filling per pie crust. To make two pies, I used the full pie crust recipe (which is designed for two pies) and multiplied the filling recipe by three, to get 1½ batches of filling into each crust. While it did take some extra time to bake up, the proportions were perfect for my taste.

I’ve also made this in a tart pan. In that case, I just make the regular amount of filling, to account for the smaller volume of crust that fits in the pan.

The same pie made in a tart pan, with cinnamon whipped cream, December 2017.

I imagine that the color of the pie is dependent on the kind of cider you use. My cider was quite dark, so the pie did not end up the golden color from the original cookbook photo. You could also try cranberry-apple cider or grape-apple cider for a different flavor. I’m curious to learn how far I could take this as a base recipe. Blackberry syrup next time?

And if you’re like me and always worry that your crust is burning while your pie is baking, I’d recommend buying a pie crust shield, available in silicone or metal. Happy baking!