15 May Mysteriously Good Sour Cream Apple Pie
Truth be told, I’m not much of a pie fan. Despite my passion for dessert, I can walk away from most fruit pies without feeling the emotional tug that sends me to the cookie jar like cat hair to carpets. Until a few weeks ago, apple was at the bottom of my pie list. While I love the crunch of fresh apples, the oatmeal topping of Apple Betty and can even appreciate the elegant simplicity of a baked apple, I just couldn’t wrap my brain around sticking perfectly good fruit in pastry and drowning it in sugar.
As part of my grueling research for the Anita Stewart’s Canada cookbook review, I tested several recipes. While they were all good, only one dish gave me an “aha!” moment — and that was Great-Grandma’s Sour Cream Apple Pie, a recipe from Stewart’s own great-grandmother.
Not too sweet, creamy and incredibly easy to make, this pie ended up on my table twice during the testing period. I just had to try a version with Balkan yogurt to save a few calories. Worked like a charm.
I’ve not idea why this dish appeals to me when most apple pies are just an excuse for French vanilla ice cream. Maybe it’s the way the sour cream cuts the sweet. Maybe it’s because the cinnamon is sprinkled on top, never mingling with the apples until the fork hits your mouth. Maybe it’s just motherly love passed down from generation to generation.
I obviously need to do more research…
Great-Grandma’s Sour Cream Apple Pie
Printable Recipe
Serves 6
Ingredients
- One 9-inch pie shell, raw (I used the No Fail Pastry recipe)
- 3 or 4 large tart apples
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup sour cream (Balkan yogurt works nicely)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Peel apples and slice into the pie shell.
- Set aside 1 tbsp sugar for topping.
- Mix remaining sugar with flour, salt and sour cream.
- Spread sour cream mixture over top of apples.
- Mix cinnamon and remaining sugar together. Sprinkle over pie.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and continue baking 35-40 minutes or until bulling and lightly browned.
- Serve warm.
Marijke Durning
Posted at 17:33h, 15 MayI make a killer apple pie but this recipe sounds really good. Apple pie is the only pie I care for, so I’ll have to give it a try.
Christie's Corner
Posted at 19:35h, 15 MayAndrew says his mother’s apple pie is his favourite dessert — how cliche!
Guess I’m outnumbered on the apple pie front.
Let me know how it turns out.
Francesca
Posted at 19:38h, 15 MaySounds wonderful with a great creamy texture. Wonder how it would work with rhubarb? Hmmmm.
jamEs
Posted at 21:13h, 15 MayThis sounds pretty d-lish. May have to give this a whirl this weekend.