Sarah Josepha Hale's Thanksgiving Apple Pudding

Place the sliced apples into a medium saucepan with 6 tbsp of water and the lemon peel slices. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover the pot. Let the apples cook for 25-30 minutes till very soft. Remove the lemon peels from the pot and mash the apples while they’re hot till they are smooth and have the consistency of applesauce.

Pour the mashed apples into a mixing bowl and allow to cool. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Stir in the brown sugar, beaten eggs, heavy whipping cream, and lemon juice. Reserve filling.

Line 2 pie dishes or pans with the 2 uncooked crusts—I use my All Butter Pie Crust for this dish (recipe can be found on The History Kitchen). Roll the outer edge of the crust over to create a neat ridge at the edge of the pie dish. Scallop the edge, if desired.

Pour half of the apple pudding into each crust to make two puddings.

To make the crust a lovely golden brown color, whisk together 1 egg yolk with 1 tsp of water. Brush a thin layer of the egg wash onto the visible edge of the pie crust.

Place the puddings into the oven and bake for 80-90 minutes, or until the pudding no longer wiggles in the center and is browning in places around the outer edge of the crust. Err on the side of cooking it longer, rather than shorter—if you undercook the pudding, it will turn out quite mushy. If the crust is browning faster than the pudding is baking, cover the outer crust edge with a layer of foil, leaving the pudding exposed in the center.

When the pudding is fully cooked, remove it from the oven and allow to cool. Decorate the top of the pudding with candied lemon peels - recipe can be found on ToriAvey.com.