Hello all…

 Hearty foods and rich baked goods are a perfect signal that colder weather is just around the corner making it just the perfect time for a delicious homemade apple pie. The smell alone reminds me of this time of year as the last of the apple harvests are being turned in to cider, pies and the like.

Here is a start to finish Apple Pie recipe. For a quicker, simpler pie you may use a frozen pie crust that is ready to go… then all you have to do is prepare the filling and crumb topping!

Pie Crust

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 6 oz unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
  • 6 oz lard, chilled and cubed
  • 4-5 tablespoons iced water

NOTE: This is enough to make a double crusted pie… if you want a crumble top instead, make only half this recipe.

Put the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix well.  Add the chunks of chilled butter and lard on top and pulse the food processor until it looks like coarse meal.  Do not overmix this, and make sure the fats are cold !  Dump this into another bowl.  It should still have large chunks of fat in it, ranging in size from the size of a pea to the size of shelled walnuts.  Add the water and mix it with a fork until it comes together.  Divide this in two and dump it onto a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap and flatten it to a disk, about 4-6 inches in diameter.  Cover the disks well and let them chill until very cold.  The dough should not be wet at all.  In fact, it should be somewhat dry and crumbly and difficult to work with at this point.  As it cools in the refrigerator, the flour will absorb the water, and solidify.

Once your crust is very cold, it is time to roll.  Flour your work surface and take out the crust.  Place it on the flour and roll it gently from the center outward.  Roll it a bit larger than the pie tin you will be using.  If you made this correctly, you will see the chunks of fat in the dough, and as you roll the dough these will flatten, and that is what makes the crust flakey.

Brown Sugar Apple Filling

  • 3 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Crumb Topping

  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup  brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For filling:
Mix all ingredients in large bowl to coat fruit.

For topping:
Blend first 7 ingredients in food processor. Add chilled butter cubes; pulse to cut in until mixture resembles wet sand.

Toss filling to redistribute juices; transfer to crust, mounding in center. Distribute topping over and around apples. Loosely cover pie with aluminum foil then place on baking sheet and bake as follows: 40 min at 400°F… reduce to 350°F and bake for another 20 minutes… remove foil and bake another 20 min at 325°F.  Remove from oven and cool on rack for at least 2 hours.

Be good…

Chef Jason