Hello, November! With Halloween now behind us, I’m officially working on Thanksgiving plans. (I’ve been “unofficially working on them for a few weeks, though I don’t want to admit to it!) Mark and I will be hosting both of our families for Thanksgiving Dinner this year. While we’ve hosted other big dinners and other holidays before, our first hosted Thanksgiving feels different. I’m ridiculously excited about it.

When I saw Lindsay make this pie for the latest recipe swap, I knew immediately it was a contender for the Thanksgiving menu. It’s gorgeous and delicious and everything an apple pie should be. The original recipe calls for two green apples and one red – I just used three baking apples (I’m not even sure of the variety – just whatever the orchard had labeled as “baking apples”!) and it came out beautifully.

Buttermilk Custard Apple Pie
(from Life and Kitchen)
Makes 1 – 9″ pie

For the apple filling:
1/4 c. butter
3 baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon

For the buttermilk custard:
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 1/3 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
2 T. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. buttermilk

For the crumb topping:
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
3 T. butter

1 pie crust (homemade or store bought)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Make the apple filling: Melt the 1/4 c. butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir in sugar and cinnamon until all combined and then add the apples.  Cook 3 to 5 minutes, until tender.  Set aside.

Make the custard: Beat together the softened butter and sugar until creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until they are no longer yellow.  Add the vanilla, salt, and flour, and combine well.  Pour in the buttermilk and beat until smooth.  Set aside.

To make the crumb topping: Whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl until well combined.  Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

Put the crust in a pie pan.  Spoon the apple filling into the crust and then pour the custard over the filling.  Top the custard with the crumb topping.

Place the pie in a preheated oven and bake for 70 to 80 minutes, until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let it stand for 1 hour before serving warm.