I've been having some gnarly neck pain in the past couple of weeks that won't seem to go away despite multiple visits to the chiropractor, creating a more ergonomic work set-up (when the cat will allow me to have the keyboard on my lap instead of him), and trying out different pillows and sleeping arrangements. Still, every morning for the past two weeks, I've woken up barely able to move my head. Ugh. Now I truly understand the phrase "pain in the neck."
Willing to try anything to rid my neck of its kinks and aches, I went to San Francisco's acupuncture school, which happens to be in our neighborhood. Final-year students work on you for a low fee, and every practitioner I've had has been amazing. Yesterday it was a young man named Nic.
I filled out the forms, and under occupation, put "blogger." I never know what to say when asked what I do for a living. "Bojon" would be a more appropriate answer, but that sometimes warrants a longer explanation than I'm willing to give when I just want to have needles stuck in my neck to make the pain go away, please and thank you.
After the usual chat regarding the color and consistency of various bodily secretions, the practitioner had me lie face-down on a cushioned table. As he stuck metal objects into my neck, he asked about my line of work, inquiring after my favorite thing to make. While I usually dread this question, offering up some waffling answer (no pun intended) such as, "Well, I really love baking anything... I like chocolate... and fruit desserts... and scones..." it's amazing how having needles poked into ones neck can foster a definitive answer.
"Pie," I said (only what with my facial features being squished through a padded hole as I lay on my abdomen, it probably sounded more like "pfhaaaiihh").
"Pie?" he perked up. "You can't go wrong with pie!"
He went on to say that, to improve digestion, I should be eating well-cooked fruits and vegetables. I took that to mean, "eat more pie."
Ok, ok. I won't pretend I made this pie for health reasons. I really made it for Jay's mom, Mary's, birthday from the lovely apricots that came in a box from Happy Child, Frog Hollow Farm's all-fruit CSA. Frog Hollow grows the most flavorful, dense-fleshed apricots I've ever tasted, and these were no exception. The tender fruits made the ultimate foil for a tangy custard filling against a buttery crust made from a spiced-kissed oat crumble.
The base recipe comes from The Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book. We brought a couple of them down to Santa Cruz last week for the festivities and to say they were a hit would be an understatement. Much like the grapefruit custard pie from the same book, these elicited myriad questions and fostered lively conversation. "What's in the crust?" "What's in the filling?" "These apricots are incredible." "Can I have the recipe?"
The original calls for peaches, with brown sugar and allspice in the cream cheese and sour cream custard filling, and a combination of cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice in the crust. Since I had apricots to work with, I tweaked the flavorings a little to bring out their delicate flavor. I traded the brown sugar in the filling for blonde cane sugar for a milder taste and color, and nixed the allspice in favor of vanilla bean and a little lemon to brighten the custard and give it a more classic cheesecakey flavor. I loved the cardamom in the crust, so I kept it simple with that as the sole spice and more of it, and I made it gluten-free as well. Then I topped the pie with a sprinkling of cardamom sugar.
This crust is so clever that it's tempting to use it for everything. It has half the butter of a traditional pie shell, and is almost entirely whole-grain with just a bit of sweet rice and tapioca flours to hold it together. The butter gets rubbed into the dry ingredients until clustery, pressed into the pan, frozen for 15 minutes, and baked – no weights necessary. If it slouches or slumps in the pan, simply press it up the sides with the back of a spoon.
The result is a slice that makes people stop what they're doing and focus solely on the party of spring flavors going on in their mouth. The crust holds together enough to slice cleanly (especially when chilled), but it crumbles under the pressure of a fork, sandy and buttery like a streusel. The filling is the most thick, rich, tangy cheesecake you've ever tasted, though the demure ratio lets the fruit be the star. It's one of my favorite-ever pies; stupid easy to make and even easier to eat.
While most pies are a pain in the neck to make, this is simple enough to throw together even when you have a pain in the neck.
More Pie Recipes:
- Apricot Crème Fraîche Tart with Honey and Pistachios
- Apricot Cherry Fold-Over Pie
- Gluten-Free Apricot Mascarpone Galette
- Apricot Cherry Clafoutis
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crème Fraîche Crumble Pie
- Berry Crumble Pie & Sour Cream Ice Cream
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this apricot custard pie recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Apricot Custard Pie with Cardamom Crumble Crust {Gluten-Free}
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
For the Press-In Cardamom Crumble Crust:
- 3/4 cup gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats (2.5 ounces / 70 grams)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar (1.75 ounces / 50 grams)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (1 ounce / 30 grams)
- 2 tablespoons sweet white rice flour (.5 ounce / 15 grams)
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free oat flour (.5 ounce / 15 grams)
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour (also called "starch") (.5 ounce / 15 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt (or 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt)
- 4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, diced (2 ounces / 55 grams)
For the filling:
- 18-20 ounces apricots, ripe but firm (or enough to fit snugly into the bottom of the pie pan) (510-570 grams)
- 6 tablespoons organic granulated sugar (3 ounces / 85 grams)
- seeds from 1 vanilla bean
- zest from 1/2 a large lemon
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened (2 ounces / 55 grams)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (4 ounces / 110 grams)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
For topping:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350ºF.
- Combine the oats, sugars, flours, cardamom, and salt in a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Add the butter and work in with your fingers (or with the mixer on lountil the mixture begins to clump together.
- Dump the crumble mixture into a 9" pie pan, and press it evenly into the sides and bottom. Freeze until firm, 15 minutes.
- Bake the crust until light golden, 18-22 minutes. If the crust has slumped down the sides of the pan, press them back up with the back of a soup spoon while still piping hot. Fill the crust while hot, or let it cool. (You can wrap it and store it at room temperature for a few days or in the freezer for a month or two.)
Make the filling:
- In the same bowl you used to make the crust (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment), place the sugar, vanilla seeds, and lemon zest. Rub the mixture together between your fingers (or with the paddle on lountil the sugar is damp and the seeds are evenly distributed.
- With a wooden spoon (or the paddle on low), work in the cream cheese until smooth, then slowly work in the sour cream until combined. Whisk in (or paddle on lothe lemon juice, salt, and egg until combined.
- When the crust has finished baking, pour a thin layer of the custard into the bottom (about 1/4 of the mixture. Halve the apricots and lay them snugly in the shell in concentric circles, starting with the largest apricots on the outside and using the smaller ones on the inside. Pour the remaining custard over and around the apricots. Stir together the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar and the 1/8 teaspoon of cardamom and sprinkle evenly over the top of the fruit.
- Bake the pie until the custard is puffed and set and the fruit is bubbling, 25-35 minutes. Let the pie cool completely, at least 2 hours. Optionally chill for cleaner slices.
- Serve the pie chilled or at room temperature. The crust is the crispest shortly after baking, but the pie will keep at room temperature for up to 1 day or chilled for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
June says
That looks amazing! Love the combination of apricots and custard in the filling, I can just imagine the texture that would have. :)
Alanna says
Thanks, June! Yest, the texture is so great - juicy and creamy and crumbly all at the same time. :)
Rebecca Winkler says
This looks gorgeous, and sounds delicious. I hope your neck feels better!
Alanna says
Thanks for the well-wishes and kind words. :)
mimi rippee says
Wow. Stunning photos. You're so talented! I love the addition of cardamom in the crust. I eat wheat, but this crust is very tempting to make! and the apricots and cheesecake-like filling? Brilliant!!!!
Alanna says
D'awww, thanks, lady. :) You can totally make the crust with wheat flour - the original called for 1/3 cup. I'm so in awe of all the recipes in that book, it's a must-have for bakers.
dana says
I think I just cried a little at that sprinkle shot. BRILLIANT FRIEND!!
Alanna says
Awww! Thanks, Dana!
ahu says
This looks amazing and delicious - cardamom is my favorite spice!
Alanna says
Yes! I can't get enough of it. Thanks!
Kezia says
I hope your 'pain in the neck' goes away soon! It's been way to long since I made a pie, and this one looks amazing! Also the shot of you sprinkling sugar was just gorgeous.
Alanna says
Oh, thank you Kezia - I hope it goes away soon, too. I had way too much fun taking that shot! It's the perfect time of year for pie - everything is so pie-able. Do it! :)
Dori says
Oh....This looks amazing! Must go find good apricots!
Alanna says
Do it! and thanks!
Evie {Domestic Whimsy} says
This is a beautiful creation! I have recently found your blog, and am in the midst of making your Honey Oat Beer Buns! So happy to have discovered your work and I look forward to your future posts :)
Alanna says
Hi Evie! Thanks for the note, and I hope the buns turned out well!
Danguole says
Ouch, sorry about your neck!
But, wow, those photos are in-cre-di-ble. The sugar-sprinkling one? Man. The internet needs to stop taking pictures of pie, because you've already won!
Alanna says
You are too sweet!! :D
Pang says
I love 'pfhaaaiihh,' too, and I LOVEEEEEE your photos. They are SO GORGEOUS!!!
Did you use that new lightroom technique you posted on FB recently? Love Love Love.
Hope your pain goes away soon.
Alanna says
Aw, thank you Pang!! We should have a pfhaaaiihh date sometime in SF! Yes, I used that groovy Lightroom edit, though I dialed it down a bit in some photos. So much fun to play with!
Pang says
we definitely should :)
Cheri Savory Spoon says
This pie looks magical, love everything about it. Great pictures, you really know how to catch the right angle and lighting.
Alanna says
Thank you, Cheri - what a sweet thing to say. :)
Monet says
Smile. I think pie is definitely a good fix for a sore neck. This looks just delicious. Ryan and I just bought an apricot tree for our front yard. This is perfect timing!
Alanna says
Oh! I'm so excited for you guys! Apricots are so wonderful when they're right. Do you know what variety you got? Thanks for the note. :)
london bakes says
Neck pain is the absolute worst isn't it? I hate the feeling of not being able to move your head from side to side and feeling like you're made of glass. I hope you recover soon and the pie helps!
Alanna says
Yeah, it's my first experience with ongoing neck pain and it really sucks! It gets in the way of everything. Boo! Thanks for the nice note, lady!
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
I love hearing how you came to this lovely combination. So pretty and seasonal! Pinning away!
Alanna says
Thanks, Katie!!
Eileen says
Hey, there's definitely nothing wrong with having more pie. :) That cardamom sugar sounds especially amazing! And I hope your neck feels better soon!
Alanna says
A woman after my own heart. Thanks, Eileen. :)
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
Gosh, really sorry to hear about your neck. I think most of us can relate to your plight. This pie is visually very very satisfying. It's lovely. Per the recipe, it has to be a total winner taste wise. Extra bennie that it is gluten free!
Alanna says
Thanks so much for the kind words, Carol!
Valerie Gamine says
hehe! Apesh*t for apricots. Indeed, me too! :D
I hope this pie, with its well-cooked fruit, helped alleviate any digestive problems; I'm sure that would help neck woes too...it seems as though everything comes back to that wily digestive tract. Delicious photos, as usual! They're so large and tempting, if only I could grab a slice through my dusty computer screen.
*argh* I know what you mean when it comes to telling people your profession. During the holidays and family gatherings I can almost hear my mom wince whenever I say the phrase 'food blogger' (she's so proud I'm putting my English major to use!). :P
Take care! "Clever crust." Yes. Yes!!
Alanna says
Aw, thank you, Valerie!! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one apesh*t for apricots or shy about pretending to my parents that food blogging is a career. Wiley digestive tract = quite!! You take care, too, my dear. :)
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
What a gorgeous pie! I love apricots and the cardamom is perfect here. The crumble crust looks irresistible!
Alanna says
Thanks, lady!! I feel the same way re: cardamom and crumble crust. :)
Rachel Cooks says
Beautiful! I'm a little obsessed with cardamom and I bet it soooo good with the apricot!
Alanna says
I think they make a lovely pair, too. Thanks, Rachel!
Allison @ Clean Wellness says
I love a custard pie! And those apricots look so amazing. This time of year is the absolute best for stone fruit -I eat it by the bushel. The addition of cardamom is fantastic. My heritage is Danish and I have been exposed to a lot of cardamom in baked goods -it's something that is highly underused in sweets. Needless to say, this dessert gets me excited!
Anonymous says
My just purchased apricots now have a purpose! I've been making a similar desert roasting apricots and drizzle w/honey & vanilla bean creme-fraiche scented w/cardamom and the flavors are delectable. Can't wait to try this.
Anonymous says
Solution for a bad neck: Stop believing in 19th-century-produced pseudoscience (aka: chiropractors...) and see a real doctor. *Wipes hands in a final solution sort of way*
Alanna says
Ha!
Sully Sullivan says
Late to the party, sorry.
I have an unusual ingredient suggestion for you: If you have a local source of apricots, you may have source for apricot blossom honey. Definitely worth a phone call to Frog Hollow.
Alanna says
Whoa! What a great idea. Thanks, Sully!
Dee says
Just made this last night! I used 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour because I don't avoid gluten. My experience was that I needed about an extra half cup of the crust mixture, though, and I had to double the recipe for the custard to fill my 9" pie pan. Still, it turned out fantastic, and I'm no pie-maker! I love how the apricots soaked up all the lemon juice and became extra tart in contrast to the sweetness of the custard. Yum. Will definitely make again!
Alanna says
Hi Dee! I'm sorry that you needed to make extra crust, but really glad that it worked out and that you liked the pie! I want to make another one myself... or ten. :)
Karen @ The Food Charlatan says
That shot of your (?) hand sprinkling the cardamom sugar over the apricots is probably the most beautiful food photo I've ever seen. And all I do is look at food photos, lol. This sounds amazing.
PS. Get well, Neck.
Alanna says
Aw! Thank you, Karen - I was so happy with the way that shot turned out, too! We seem to have the same pastime- all I ever seem to do is look at food photos, too. :)
Cook and farmer says
Love this ie and its favors. Encountered one major problem though: the bottom crust was completely disintegrated! Had to scoop it out. Please advise! Would love to make it again. Thanks for the recipe.
Alanna says
Hi! That's really weird - I've made this half a dozen times and never had that problem. Did you change anything about the recipe? Was your fruit super ripe/wet? Did you weigh the fruit? Did you use the same flours I did (esp. sweet rice as opposed to regular white rice?) Does your oven run cold and do you have a thermometer in there to make sure? Did you pack the crust in firmly? Let's figure this out! :)
Cook and farmer says
Appreciate the speedy reply! I didn't weigh the apricots. Just put them in til they filled the pie nicely. Apricots were from a friends tree. A few were very ripe; most were not. Maybe too juicy? Perhaps I didn't make the bottom crust thick enough? The sides held up quite nicely, and I wouldn't want to jeopardize them!
Alanna says
Hm, doesn't sound like it's the apricots, but I suppose you could increase the crust recipe a bit if you make it again. Is it possible your pie pan is bigger than a standard 9" pan? The could explain the thin crust, too.
Cook and farmer says
Thanks for your feedback. I'll definitely try it again! That cardamom really makes it!
Lauren, Queen of Tarts says
The flavors are a magical combination and I hope to perfect my first attempt. Let's just say it doesn't look at all like the photos and won't be winning any beauty contests! I have your cookbook, love your recipes, and I'm a seasoned baker - super curious where this went wrong! Similar to other commenters, I could have used about 50% more crust dough - I opted to just forego the sides so that I could adequately cover the bottom. I also feel I needed twice as much of the filling. I expected that the custard would puff up around the apricots while baking, but virtually zero puffing. I ended up with a thin (delicious) oat pancake topped with a thin custard layer, and halved apricots proudly towering over the top. I measured my pan before posting in case I made an error there. I'm also wondering if maybe the custard was supposed to be more whipped than I realized? Hmm - even if mine was apricot flatbread, though, it is definitely delicious.
Alanna says
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for the detailed review - I'm so sorry it gave you trouble! I did make this recipe many times before I posted it, and I made it afterward to double check the quantities, but it definitely sounds like the crust is causing problems for multiple bakers. I'm going to add a note advising folks to double the crust and filling amounts, and I'll make a note to test the recipe again as soon as I can. (Currently on a really strict elimination protocol for health reasons and this pie would be *way* too tempting to have in the house!)
I really appreciate the feedback - thank you for helping me make my recipes more solid!