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

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Peel apples and slice into the pie shell.
3. Set aside 1 tbsp sugar for topping.
4. Mix remaining sugar with flour, salt and sour cream.
5. Spread sour cream mixture over top of apples.
6. Mix cinnamon and remaining sugar together. Sprinkle over pie.
7. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and continue baking 35-40 minutes or until bulling and lightly browned.
8. Serve warm.