Apple Pie

The Pie, Just Before Going Into the Oven

I love, love, love apple pies. I think I fell in love with them when I was living in New York. There, I bought some amazing apple pies from the farmers' market at Union Square. The crust was always flaky and tender. The filling was never too sweet, and every bite graced my mouth with amazing depth and complexity of apple flavors. I learned of the trick later: use a variety of apples, sweet and tart, soft and crisp. I am quite sure the pies I bought were responsible for quite an extra few pounds of padding on my hips.

STEP 1: Pastry Dough
2 cups all-purpose Flour (preferably King Arthur)
1 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
12 tbs unsalted butter, stone cold from the fridge and cut into small pieces
3 tbs lard, chilled and cut into pieces (or I should say scoped into pieces; lard is generally soft)
3 1/2 tbs ice water

1. On a large, flat surface (say a table or counter top), spread out two pieces of Saran Wrap, about 12 inches in length each.

2. Place the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor, and process briefly to mix together and aerate.

3. Add the butter and the lard to the flour, and using short pulses, process until the mixture ranges in size from petite peas to coarse cornmeal.

4. Sprinkle in one tbs of the water. Pulse once or twice to incorporate the water. Sprinkle in another 1 1/2 tbs of the water. Pulse once or twice. Add the final one tbs of water. Pulse to incorporate. Do not over process.

4. Divide the pastry in half and transfer each of the half onto the prepared Saran Wrap. Bring together the corners of one of the wrap, carefully press the pastry together into a ball using the plastic. (This is, in my opinion, the easiest way to do it).With the pastry still ensconced within the plastic wrap, flatten the ball out into a disc about 5 inches across. Repeat for the second pastry. Refrigerate both discs for at least an hour.

STEP 2: Everything Else

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbs granulated sugar (don't bother with this 2 tbs if you like your pie even less sweet, or add a bit more if you like yours sweeter)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
8 to 9 cups sliced peeled apples (about 3 1/2 to 4 lbs), use more if you like a higher apple pie. Good varieties to use include gala, golden delicious, granny smith, Jonagold, Rose, Cortland).
1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Mix the sugars with the flour, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.

3. Toss the apples with the lemon juice,, then the sugar mixture, then the vanilla in a large bowl. Let rest for the apples to soften a bit.

3. Remove one half of the pastry from the fridge and let it warm up for just a minute of two. In the meanwhile, cut out two pieces of Saran Wrap. Overlap two of the pieces lengthwise just a little to make a large rectangle/square at least 14 inch on each side. Transfer the pastry onto this plastic. Place another plastic over the pastry (you can reuse the one you used earlier to store the pastry). Using a large rolling pin, roll out the pastry to fit a 9 to 10 inch pie plate with enough to have an inch of dough hanging over the edge - in short, roll out the dough into a 12 to 13 inch circle (depending on size of pie plate). Adjust the plastic as you see fit. Stick the pastry back into the fridge to firm up a little again if the room is warm. Else, remove one side of the plastic, carefully (with the large plastic piece still under the rolled out pastry) lift over the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the pie plate. If the dough is not too warm, peel off the plastic and stick the whole thing back into the fridge. If it seems to be sticking to the plastic, stick the whole thing back into the fridge first for a couple of minutes before trying to remove the plastic. (This sounds complicated, but it is really quite easy once you get the hang of it. I think it is easier than rolling out on the table, where the pastry has a tendency to stick and all that).

4. Roll out the second piece of the pastry into a 11 inch circle using the same method described above. Stick it back into the fridge.

5. Transfer the apples into the prepared pie plate and dot with the butter. Remove from fridge the top pastry, remove one side of the plastic and lay over the apples. Remove the plastic on top. Fold the edges of the bottom pastry over the top edge and crimp close. Make a pattern if you wish, or just use the thine of a fork to press and crimp down.

6. Cut 10 to 12 slits in the top of the pie. (I tend to do up to 16).

7. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake it in the bottom third of the oven until the pastry is golden on top, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool at least 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Note: Check the color of the rim of the pie about 30 to 35 minutes into the baking time. If it looks like it is browning too much, use an aluminum foil to protect it. Simply tear out a large piece of aluminum foil, cut a 9 or 10 inch circle from it and quickly place over the pie.

Note about apples: Don't use Red Delicious, they flood. Galas produce a lot of liquid too, so don't use too many of them if you use them.

I love, love, LOVE the apple peeler our friend Dave gave us for our wedding. It makes apple peeling a breeze.