Whole Foods: Spiced Apple Pie

I'd been meaning to use this "special" stoneware pie plate gifted to me for my birthday. I'd promised I would test whether it will produce the most phenomenal crust ever. I scoured my recipe collection for an apple pie recipe and decided to try out the Spiced Apple Pie recipe in a Whole Foods Cookbook.

At first, I didn't like it. I found it too gingery. Plus, all the spices were left behind in the soupy mess of sliced apples after tossing the mix together. =( After baking, I also had to pour off the soupy mess that cooked up. =( I suppose all that loss of spices would only accentuate the ginger flavor.

For apples, I used Cortlands not the Fuji called for in the recipe which may have been a factor in my problems. Nevertheless, this pie has grown on me. It's got a very light and clean taste; not the heavy and sweet version of normal apple pie. I also liked how the apples remained "crisp" with a nice bite to them instead of turning to mush. Another plus is that they weren't sour either. I know lots of folks love use granny apples for that tartness but I can't enjoy a tart apple pie.

What I most liked about this pie has nothing to do with pie. Rather, it has to do with the "accessory". During my extended stay in London, I discovered what they've always known. Custard makes everything better. This isn't the thick blocks of custard you'd find IN dessert but a runny (but thick) custard you pour OVER the dessert. Yes, everything tastes better with custard. So I slathered some custard on top of the pie. =9~ I actually prefer it to ice cream. Mind you, it has to be good custard or it won't have the same effect.

As for the pie, I will try again but next time, I might use powdered ginger to tone it down a bit, while upping the other spice amounts. I liked how the spices made this pie very fragrant. The crust was easy to make in that as a "rustic" crust (their terminology), I only had to fold over the edges. No crimping and beautifying. Flavor-wise, it was nice, almost grahamy with the whole wheat mixed in. I was surprised that it was actually flakey and that it held up relatively well despite the soupy mess though that may have been due to the superior stoneware pie plate. I suppose I will just have to make another pie in this plate...