Monday, November 25, 2013

Traditional Apple Pie


Tis' the season for another delicious pie recipe!

The most important part about making this pie is the apples: you want your apples to not get mushy while still being soft enough to melt in your mouth. You can use any number of apples as long as they don't loose their shape when baked, such as Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Gala, etc. Here is a good run-down of the apples that are best for baking. Also, I think it's important to use a variety (2-3 different kinds) of apples to make the pie a more flavorful.

Another important note: once you've cooked your pie and it's out of the oven, avoid the temptation to cut into it right away. I would have to say this is the hardest part of baking the pie. I know, it seems impossible, but if you cut into the pie right away, the juices in the apples will run out and all that goodness will be lost. So, please, wait for 3-4 hours before cutting into the pie!

Traditional Apple Pie

(Yields one 9-inch pie)

Ingredients:
  • About 8 cups of apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 6 large apples)
    **I used 3 Granny Smith, 2 Pink Lady and 1 Honeycrisp apples
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. corn starch
  • 2 Pate Brisee (pie crust) - top crust and bottom crust
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar

Directions:
  1. Allow Pate Brisee dough to warm to room temperature (warm enough to roll out, not too warm that it becomes soft and buttery)
  2. Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 9-inch circle.
    Things to keep in mind: 
    -Roll from the center of the dough out. This will evenly distribute the dough's thickness
    -Don't roll over the edges of the dough. This will make the edges thin and/or tear/crack
    -Continue turning the dough, or you rolling pin. Keep moving, don't keep rolling back in forth in the same direction, otherwise you dough will be thin in some places and thick in others and/or not round
    -Don't roll your dough too thin or too thick. Too thick = dough is too small; too thin = dough will tear when you try to move it. The best way to judge the size is to turn your pie dish upside-down and compare it to the size of your dough
  3. Once your dough is large enough, place your rolling pin in the center of the dough. Fold dough in half (over the rolling pin). Pick up the rolling pin from the ends and gently transfer the dough to your pie pan
    **If your dough tears, try again. If you dough is too warm, it will continue to tear. DON'T PANIC! Roll the dough into a disk again and place in the refrigerator or a bit
  4. Trim the pastry to the edge of the pan. Decorate the edge of the pastry. (I used my thumb and forefinger of one hand to pinch the dough into small triangles). Alternatively, you can make decorative cut-outs (leaves or pumpkins) from the extra dough and affix them to the using a little water
  5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator
  6. In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples with white and brown sugars, lemon juice, spices and salt. Let apple mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes - 3 hours
  7. Place a small sauce pan on the counter with a sieve on top. Pour the apple mixture into the sieve (catching the apples and allowing the sugary juices to fall into the sauce pan). Let the apple slices drain for 30 minutes
  8. While the apple slices are draining, remove the top crust dough from refrigerator so it has time to soften
  9. Add butter to juices in sauce pan and boil liquid over medium-high heat until the liquid is reduced by half. Turn off heat and allow syrup to cool
  10. Transfer drained apple slices to a large bowl (you can use the same one they were in before). Gently mix the cornstarch into the apples. Then pour the syrup over the apple slices and gently stir to combine. Pour apple filling into chilled pie crust
  11. Roll out the top pie crust, just like you did before. Moisten the edges of the bottom crust with water, then gently place the top crust over the apples. Tuck excess pastry under the bottom crust or cut off excess. Decorate the edge of the crust (I made small slits in the pie crust every 1/4-inch or so, then folded every other square up). Sprinkle the top of the pie with raw sugar. Make five 2-inch slits from the center of the pie out (like a flower, allowing the steam to escape while the pie is cooking)
  12. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator while the oven is preheating
  13. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the pie on a large baking sheet (to catch any spills) and bake in the lower 1/3 of the oven for 45-55 minutes. After cooking for 30 minutes, place foil around the edge of the pie to prevent the crust from getting overly browned
  14. Your pie is done when the juices start to bubble and a sharp knife inserted through one of the slits on the top of the pie feels tender
  15. Place baked pie on a wire rack to cool for 3-4 hours before cutting
  16. Serve at warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Enjoy and thanks for reading!
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