Page 181 - United States of Pie

Breakfast Apple Pie

I love pie for breakfast. In my family, we’ve been eating pie for
breakfast for as long as we’ve been eating pie. A little fruit, some
carbohydrates from the crust, protein from the butter, and there you
have it—a perfectly balanced meal!
This pie is a take on Marion Cunningham’s Breakfast Apple Pie.

For years, Marion Cunningham was James Beard’s right-hand
woman, assisting him in teaching cooking courses throughout the
country and then returning to her home in the San Francisco Bay
Area. In 1990 she became Fannie Farmer, revising the acclaimed
cookbook. To top it all off, she has written cookbooks under her own
moniker as well. Her genius cookbook, The Breakfast Book, is a
classic. In it, her apple pie recipe features a cornflake filling and a

streusel top. The cornflakes act as a bed for a layer of delicately
spiced sliced apples. As the pie bakes, the flakes lose their crunch
and become a thickener for the apples, absorbing the juice they
release as they cook.
Marion Cunningham is a living legend, the grande dame of
American home cooking and probably a certifiable pie expert. Her

breakfast apple pie is delicious, moist, and hearty. But I’ve never
been one to leave well enough alone. In my version, I remove the
cornflakes from the filling and add them to the streusel topping. The
smashed flakes make the streusel extra crunchy and preserve the
flavor of the cereal. I then make a custard of sorts and add it to the
apple filling. Once baked, it is light and creamy—just like scrambled
eggs. Make sure to use tart apples, such as Granny Smiths or

Pippins—nothing too sweet. After all, this pie is for breakfast!

½ recipe Standard Pie Dough