New England Marlborough Pie
An old-fashioned favorite from New England!
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While there may be nothing more American than apple pie, there’s nothing more New England Marlborough Pie. This old-fashioned dessert dates back to early settlers in the 17th century. Unlike a typical apple pie, Marlborough pie has a rich, custard-like filling made with grated apples, cream, eggs, and warm spices, often with a splash of sherry or brandy for good measure. It’s part apple pie, part baked custard, and completely delicious. Add it to your fall baking lineup and you’ll understand why it’s so beloved in the Northeast!
The apples are grated and cooked down with lemon juice, sherry, butter, and sugar until tender. That mixture gets folded into a simple custard made with eggs and cream, along with a little cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg. The result is a filling that’s rich and creamy, with plenty of apple flavor and just the right amount of spice.
There are a few extra steps here, including pre-baking the crust and cooking the apples before the pie goes into the oven, but they’re worth it. The filling comes together easily once the apples are ready, and the whole pie only needs about 45 minutes to bake. Let it cool for a bit before slicing so the custard has time to set.
Serve Marlborough Pie warm or at room temperature, preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. It’s a great dessert for fall gatherings, holiday meals, or anytime you want to try a piece of New England baking history.
New England Marlborough Pie
Ingredients
- 1 round pie crust dough
- 4 apples (2 sweet, 2 tart)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup sherry
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 eggs, beaten
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a pie pan with your pie crust. Fold under overhang and crimp edges. Use a fork to prick holes all over bottom of crust. Line dough with foil or parchment paper, then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 8 minutes.
- Carefully remove beans/pie weights and foil, then return to oven for 5 minutes more. Set aside while you work on the filling.
- Grate the apples on a box grater right down to the core, then transfer them to a medium bowl and mix in the lemon juice and sherry. Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, then add the grated apples along with their liquid and the sugar. Cook, stirring, until the liquid comes to a boil, then lower the heat so it simmers and keep cooking, stirring now and then, until the apples soften and most of the liquid has cooked away, roughly 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- While that cools, whisk the eggs, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl. Fold in the cooled apple mixture, then pour everything into the baked crust.
- Bake 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F, then bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
- Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
Recipe adapted from Newengland.com