Tarte Alsacienne

---CREAM CHEESE PIE DOUGH
--- 1/2 lb Butter

1/2 lb Cream cheese

2 ts Vanilla

2 c Flour

--FILLING

-- 1 1/2 c Half and half

2 Eggs

3 c Thinly sliced, green apples

- (peeled) 1/2 c Sugar

1 ts Vanilla extract

1/4 ts Mace

CREAM BUTTER, CREAM CHEESE and vanilla together in a mixer or processor. Reduce speed to low and add the flour. Mix until incorporated. Remove the dough from the mixer, form into 3 balls and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour before using. Uncooked dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Freeze uncooked balls of dough or freeze dough in pie tins. FILLING: Place a ball of chilled dough on a piece of lightly floured wax paper and pound with a rolling pin to flatten and soften. Roll the dough into an 11-inch circle, lift it with the wax paper and invert onto a 9-inch glass pie dish. Press firmly into the dish and gently remove and discard wax paper. Place in refrigerator to chill. Preheat oven to 400F. Arrange apples in the pie crust. In a bowl, beat together eggs, half-and-half, sugar, vanilla and mace. Pour the mixture over the apples. Place the pie in the oven and bake until the mixture is set, about 30 minutes. The dough recipe makes about 3 10-inch pies.