Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Delicious Deep Dish Apple Pie

This is a recipe I have been developing for years. I think the crust definitely can make or break a pie just as much as the spices and apple variety used in it.

On this challenge, we are very lucky to be using spices from The Spice House. I've always enjoyed a little zing to my pie and decided to incorporate their crystallized ginger. Big yum! So if you like a little zip in your pie, this one is for you!

ENJOY!

Delicious Deep Dish Apple Pie
by Holly K of Holly's Table and Holly's Table Facebook Group
Adapted from the following: 
Alton Brown's Super Apple Pie recipe
Martha Stewart's Pie Crust 
Deepest Dish Apple Pie from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

For the crust:
2 sticks, unsalted butter, chilled and cut in pieces, divided
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup ice water (the colder the better)

For the filling and topping:
8 large apples (a combination of Granny Smith, Braeburn, Gala and Golden Delicious are best), peeled, cored, cut into 8 slices and each slice cut into 1/4" chunks*
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 chunk The Spice House Crystallized Ginger, minced
1 teaspoon The Spice House Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon The Spice House Ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
Juice of 1 small lime
Juice of 1 small lemon
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut-up
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

For the crust:
Freeze 1 1/2 sticks of cut-up butter on sheet trays, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate other 1/2 cut-up stick.

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Add the refrigerated butter, pulse 10 times.

Add the frozen butter, pulse until course pebble crumbs form.

Add the ice water, pulse 10 times. Test and pulse a few more times if need be. (It should just come together. Do not over process. You want it to stay cold.)

Press out the dough into 2 discs onto saran wrap. Roll into 1/2" circles. Seal tightly and refrigerate 45 minutes and up to 2 days. Can be frozen up to 1 month.

For the filling:
Place cut-up apples mixed with 1/4 cup sugar in a colander over a bowl. Let drain for 1 1/2 hours. Pour reserved juice into a saucepan with the minced ginger. Cook down until ginger dissolves and only a few Tablespoons remain. Discard any ginger that hasn't dissolved.

Heat oven to 425°F and place rack onto lowest level of oven.

In a bowl, combine the apples, remaining sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cornstarch, juices and ginger syrup.

Remove crusts from refrigerator. Roll out into discs. Place one disc into bottom of 9 1/2" glass deep dish pie plate. Pour in apple filling. Dot with butter pieces. Cover with remaining crust. I crimp mine in because no one seems to enjoy the extra crust in my house. Cut slits into top of pie. Brush with the cream.

Bake 45-50 minutes of until bubbling. Baking time depends on your oven, so keep a close watch on it the last 10 minutes or so as to not let burn.

Remove from oven and let cool a minimum of 4 hours.

*Cutting the apples smaller is recommended for deep dish pies since it will allow for more even cooking without burning the crust.

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