The Fall Classic...Apple Pie

You didn't think I'd let Fall pass me by without making an apple pie, did you?!?!

Someone brought Apple Pie into the office this week and it just boosted me to get on with the pie making. I had apples from apple picking staring at me in the fridge just waiting to be made into a pie, but I kept putting it off. One of the things, to me, that is most tedious about making an apple pie is not the pie crust, it's peeling, coring and slicing all those apples! Maybe I should invest in a gadget to do that for me.

This is a recipe from Martha Stewart. You'll see that the pie dough recipe calls for the dough to chill for about an hour. So make the dough first and then while it is in the fridge, you can prepare the other components for the pie. You can use a food processor or your two hands and a pastry blender to make the dough. I do not have a food processor and so I've always made the pie crust by hand. One tip I came across was to freeze the sticks of butter and grate them into the flour. This will give you the same kind of texture that you would get with using a food processor. Whichever you route you take, you should remember to measure your ingredients accurately, use cold butter, and don't over mix the dough mixture. Also, make sure your pie is completely cooled before you cover it up. If there is any steam left inside, it will just turn the top of your crust soggy and make it collapse.

Ingredients:

Pie Dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Filling:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
12 baking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pie top
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg, beaten

Directions for making pie dough:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour.

Directions for filling and assembling the pie:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into two 1/8-inch-thick circles to a diameter slightly larger than that of an 11-inch plate. Press one pastry circle into the pie plate. Place the other circle on waxed paper, and cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour. Toss well. Spoon apples into pie pan. Dot with butter, and cover with remaining pastry circle. Cut several steam vents across top. Seal by crimping edges as desired. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool on wire rack before serving.