Apple Marzipan Pie

A few weeks before Christmas, I received a large box from Sweden. I quickly tore it open and found a bunch of Swedish food from my family! In the pile (which also included Swedish coffee that I plan to drink over the next few weeks, yum) was a package of marzipan. Now, marzipan doesn't seem to be very common in the US. You can get it here, sure, but it seems to come pre-colored in smaller packages. In Sweden, not so much. You buy it in just-over-a-pound packages (500g) or more, some make little gnomes with red hats for the holidays, others bake with it, and - more often than not - most people I know end up consuming half the package, idly snacking away while it's stored in the pantry.

I decided to bake with it! Now, I love to make apple crumble and I had apples at home for that very reason. I then realized I had the marzipan and some pie crust and thought it might be an even better idea to try out something different. I'll make the apple crumble soon again and might post my ultra-secret, century-old family recipe (mostly because Jacquie liked that better than this) and I'll use the second half of my marzipan for something else. Mazarins, perhaps?

I happened to have pie crust in the fridge, but you should make your own because it will be approximately 2.32 times better than the pre-made, store-bought one. Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Apple Marzipan Tart
For the crust:

• 4.5oz chilled butter
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 egg

For the filling:

• 4 apples (your choice - I generally do two or three different ones)
• 0.5lb marzipan, uncolored
• 3 eggs
• 0.5 cup whole milk
• 4 tbsp raw/brown sugar

Start with the crust. Make sure you work quickly and efficiently, as the butter cant be allowed to heat up. Place the flour and sugar in a food processor and pulse a few times to mix well. Add the chilled butter in half-inch cubes and pulse again, 4-5 times, until it looks like crumbles. Add the egg and pulse another few times until it's combined. Remove from the bowl, form a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for a minimum of one hour, up to one day.

Once finished, press the dough out into a greased 9-inch pie pan (preferably with a removable bottom). Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and place back in fridge.

Turn your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

In a bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), coarsely shred the marzipan. Add the egg and milk and mix well - use the paddle mixer if you're using a stand mixer. Once combined, pour into the pie crust.

Next, wash and peel your apples, then slice into thin wedges. Press the wedges into the battered pie crust in a circle. Sprinkle with the brown sugar.

Place in the lower half of the oven for 40 - 45 minutes or until the batter has set completely and the apples have browned nicely. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or custard. Store, covered in tin foil or plastic wrap, for up to a week.