- 1 recipe best Butter Pie Pastry, refrigerated
- 2 golden delicious apples
- 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- If you haven’t already, prepare the pastry and refrigerate it until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
- On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the pastry into a 13½-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Center it, then peel off the paper. Gently tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge into an upstanding ridge. Place the pie shell in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, then fully pre-bake it according to the instructions. Let cool on a wire rack as you put together the filling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- As the pie shell cools, prepare the filling. Leaving the skins on, cut the apples into cross-wise slices about ¾ inch thick. Core each slice and select the 6 best-looking slices. Melt the 1½ tablespoons butter in a large skillet and add the apple slices, sprinkling 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar over them. Fry over medium heat for about 4 minutes, then flip the slices and fry them on the other side for another few minutes, until nearly tender. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar over the apples’ and flip once more. Cook for another minute or two, until the slices are tender. Transfer the slices to a plate.
- Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar and flour in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add the eggs and yolk and the vanilla. Process until smooth. Add the buttermilk and melted butter and process just until blended.
- Put one apple ring in the center of the prebaked pie shell and arrange the others around it. Very slowly pour the buttermilk custard over the apples. If the slices don’t rise, lift them up with a fork. Put the pie directly on the center oven rack and bake for about 45 minutes. To check for doneness, give the pie pan a poke. The custard shouldn’t move in waves, but instead should seem set in the center; don’t over bake.
- Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and let cool thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least several hours before serving.
- Makes 8 to 10 servings