Pies hold a special special place in the triumvirate of American cuisine: Burgers, hot dogs and pies!
And is there anything more quintessential than apple pie?
First time I had a proper apple pie was at thanksgiving when I lent my kitchen to friends who were renovating their house in Seattle. I woke up to find my friend bent over a kitchen counter, busy slicing about thousand apples, flour everywhere and yelling at anyone who came anywhere near the kitchen.
Out of the mayhem, came out the tastiest apple pie I ever had!
My friend’s recipe is a combination of Julia Child, Martha Stewart and his own ingenuity.
The result in an amazing apple pie recipe.
I hope you willl give it a try!
Happy baking friends!
Servings 12 servings
Calories/Serving 220kcal
Ingredients
Pie crust
- 2.5 cups plain flour all purpose flour (USA), maida (India)
- tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- butter unsalted, cold and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup ice cold water
Filling
- 5 tart apples medium size, granny smith
- 5 sweet apples medium size, fuji apples
- 1/2 cup brown sugar vary from 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup depending on the sweetness of the apples
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 11/2 tbsp butter unsalted
Other
- granulated sugar for sprinkling
- egg white for egg wash
Instructions
Make Pie Dough
- Mix together flour, salt and sugar. Add the butter and mix it in until it resembles a coarse meal. I use an electric mixture as the heat of the hands can melt the butter.
- Start adding cold water slowly until the dough comes together but is not sticky or wet.
- Divide the dough into balls, one slightly larger than other. Flatten the balls into discs, cover with a cling wrap or parchment paper and keep in the fridge for an hour. It's important to cover them as othewise the smells of the fridge will get into the dough
Make Pie filling
- Peel and core the apples and cut them into 3-4mm slices. Cut the apples into slices large and small so that you can fill in all the nooks and crannies of the pie.
- Combine sugar, corn starch, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg powder. Add more sugar only if the apples are very tart but by using a combination of sweet and tart applies ensures that you have enough sweetness in the pie
- Pour the sugar and spice mixture on top of the apples and then gently mix it in so that apple slices are fully coated
Assemble Pie
- Remove dough from fridge and roll out into two discs about 2-3mm thick
- Use the larger disc to line the pie pan, gently press in the dough and cover any cracks with the dough. Trim the excess dough hanging off the sides of the pan
- Place the apple slices in the pie shell in layers forming a dome shaped. You want a dome double the height of the pie pan as the apples will shrink once baked. Dot the apples with butter and sprinkle lemon juice and lemon zest on top
- Use the second disc of dough create any kind of pattern to cover the top of the pie. I just cut cut out little circles in the disc and placed it on top. Gently press on the edges so that the two layers of pie stick together
- Brush the top layer and with egg wash or milk. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top
- Bake until the pie at 230C for ten minutes and bake for another 35 minutes to 50 minutes at 175C. Keep an eye on the pie and half way through, cover the top of the pie with alumnium foil to prevent the top crust from burning.
- Take out of the oven and let it cool for 15 -20 minutes before taking it out of the pan and letting it cool down on a wire rack
- Serve with vanilla ice cream or double cream. Or if you are like me, I sprinkle a bit of flaky salt on top and eat with coffee or a cup of tea
Tried this recipe?Mention @Incredible.kitchen or tag #myincrediblekitchen!
