Sweet Apple Pie
There is nothing more homey than apple pie. Equally welcome in the summer and the fall, a beautiful apple pie is the quintessential American dessert. After all no Thanksgiving table or summer BBQ would be complete without at least one apple pie.
I love this iteration of the American classic especially in summer. Some apple pies are loaded with caramel and a pre-cooked filling. Those pies can be delicious, but I often find the apples get lost beneath a mask of cloyingly sweet syrup.
In this version, the apples are allowed to be the star. I like to use a variety of apples (pink lady, golden delicious, granny smith, or any other variety that looks good at the time), leave the skins on, and slice the apples very thin. When macerated in sugar and spice and then baked to tender perfection, the apples make a sweet, gooey filling without loosing their distinctive apple texture and flavor.
Because the filling is very simple to make, I also really enjoy spending more time on decorating this pie. Cute little pie dough cutters or a detailed lattice are my favorite ways, but really the sky is the limit. When it comes to decorating and rolling, keeping your pie dough cold is critical. Cold dough holds its shape, sticks less, and prevents shrinking in the oven. Chilling the dough between steps or anytime it gets too warm might extend the length of the process, but the result is worth it.
All Butter Double Pie Crust: Makes top and bottom crust
Equipment:
Food processor
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
2 TBS. sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup cold water + more as needed
Method:
Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor a couple of times to mix.
A few cubes at a time, add the butter to the flour mixture, pulsing in between each addition. Continue until all the butter is added and the mixture takes on a sand-like texture.
Add the water a few tablespoons at a time, pulsing several times between each addition. Pulse until the dough begins coming together into a ball. Only add the full 1/2 cup if the dough is too dry to come together. Slowly add additional water one tablespoon at a time as needed to bring the dough together.
Remove the dough, form it into two equal sized disks, and wrap them in plastic wrap. Store the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight or a couple days before baking.
Apple Pie -Makes 1 pie
Equipment:
Pie dish (10 1/2 in. diameter)
Heavy duty baking sheet
Rolling pin
Pie dough cutters in apple or flower shapes (optional)
Ingredients:
1 prepared recipe all-butter double pie crust (above)
4-5 (mixed variety) apples, skin on and sliced very thin
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 TBS. lemon or orange zest
3 TBS. fresh lemon or orange juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg + 1 TBS. half and half for egg wash
Coarse sugar for decorating
Method:
Roll out the bottom crust and line your pie dish. Prick the bottom all over with the tines of a fork and place the dish in the refrigerator to chill.
Roll out the top crust. Cut and shape it into a lattice if desired. Chill the top in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the apples, sugars, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, corn starch, salt, zest, juice, and vanilla. Mix well.
Spoon the filling into the prepared pie shell, and then top with the top crust. Crimp the edges, and decorate as desired. Place the pie back into the refrigerator to chill for 15-20 minutes.
While the pie is chilling, preheat the oven to 415ºF. Place the rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat the oven with the heavy duty baking pan inside.
Once the oven is at temperature and the pie has chilled, make the egg wash. Whisk the egg and half and half together well then use a pastry brush to lightly paint the top crust evenly with the wash. Sprinkle all over with decorating sugar, and then put the pie in the oven on top of the baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 350ºF. Bake for another 40-50 minutes or until the top is evenly golden and the filling is bubbling in the center of the pie. Watch the crust carefully throughout baking. If the edges are darkening too quickly cover them with a pie crust shield or some aluminum foil.
Once the pie is done allow it to cool completely before slicing. Serve with healthy scoops of cinnamon ice cream. Store the pie covered in the refrigerator for several days.
Recipe adapted from A Baker’s Year
