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.*

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Apricot Custard Pie with Cardamom Crumble Crust {Gluten-Free}

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An easy to make and delicious crumble crust fruit pie.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Chilling time: 15 minutes

Total: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 8 servings (one 9" pie).

Ingredients

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 blonde cane 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

Adapted from The Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book.

Feel free to trade the apricots here for the fruit of your choice; peaches, nectarines, cherries, figs, or berries would all work well.

If gluten isn't an issue for you or your guests, trade the flours in the crust for all-purpose wheat flour. If gluten is an issue, be sure to source oats and oat flour that are certified gluten-free. (I get mine from GlutenFreeOats.com.)

To quickly warm your cream cheese to room temperature, cut it into cubes and place it in a bowl near the oven while you make the crust.

All ounce measurements here are by weight.

Nutritional values are based on one of eight servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 271kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 192mgPotassium: 246mgFiber: 2gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 1620IUVitamin C: 7.6mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 0.9mg

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

Apricot Custard Pie with Cardamom Crumble Crust {Gluten-Free}

Adapted from The Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book

Feel free to trade the apricots here for the fruit of your choice; peaches, nectarines, cherries, figs, or berries would all work well. If gluten isn't an issue for you or your guests, trade the flours in the crust for all-purpose wheat flour. If gluten is an issue, be sure to source oats and oat flour that are certified gluten-free. (I get mine from GlutenFreeOats.com.) To quickly warm your cream cheese to room temperature, cut it into cubes and place it in a bowl near the oven while you make the crust.

All ounce measurements here are by weight.

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie, serving 8

For the Press-In Cardamom Crumble Crust:
3/4 cup (2.5 ounces / 70 grams) gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces / 50 grams) light brown sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce / 30 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons (.5 ounce / 15 grams) sweet white rice flour
2 tablespoons (.5 ounce / 15 grams) gluten-free oat flour
2 tablespoons (.5 ounce / 15 grams) tapioca flour (also called "starch")
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt (or 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt)
4 tablespoons (2 ounces / 55 grams) cold, unsalted butter, diced

For the filling:
18-20 ounces (510-570 grams) apricots, ripe but firm (or enough to fit snugly into the bottom of the pie pan)
6 tablespoons (3 ounces / 85 grams) blonde cane sugar
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
zest from 1/2 a large lemon
1/4 cup (2 ounces / 55 grams) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (4 ounces / 110 grams) sour cream
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

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 low) until 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 low) until 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 low) the 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.