American Pie Council

Italian Apple-Mascarpone Pie With Almond Topping

Yields: 8 servings
Crust (makes enough for double crust):
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted COLD butter
1/2 cup COLD Crisco Butter-Flavored Shortening
1/3 cup ice water
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter and shortening. Drizzle the water and vinegar into the flour mixture and combine with hands until a dough is formed. Divide dough in half and shape each a flat disc. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. When ready to bake, roll out one dough (the other can be refrigerated and used for another pie!) and line an Emily Henry pie plate, which can be purchased at Williams-Sonoma or online at the Emily Henry website. For this particular pie, I used a pink (my favorite color) Emily Henry pie plate that was given as a gift. Line with foil and add pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven; remove foil and weights. Reduce oven temperature to 375 and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.


Apple-Mascarpone Filling:
6 cups apples (about 6 medium apples, preferably a combination of tart and sweet)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (1/8 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
1 cup cream
4 oz. mascarpone cheese, softened

Peel, core, and slice apples. Place apples in large bowl and drizzle lemon juice over apples. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, stir the apples, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon. Cook until apples are just slightly soft and juices have thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and almond extract. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg, cream, and mascarpone. Mix until smooth and well combined. Set aside.


Almond-Marzipan Topping:
1/3 cup marzipan, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sliced almonds

In a medium bowl, combine the marzipan, flour, and butter. Add almonds; combine until topping is crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spoon apples into pie crust lined Emile Henry pie pan. Pour mascarpone cream filling over apples. Tent loosely and bake for 25-30 minutes until filling is almost set. Remove from oven and sprinkle marzipan topping. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes, until topping is lightly browned. Let sit for 3-4 hours before slicing.