Have a Honeycrisp! Eat an Empire! Grab a Granny Smith – or why
not try a Winesap? The truth is, in New
York we can have our pick. Travel to
any of the many upstate farms to find your favorite apple varieties. Apple
picking is not only fun, it’s full of beauty benefits too! Drink in delicious
draughts of autumn air while plucking fruit straight from the tree. Your cheeks
will be as fresh and full of color as the apples in your cart.
But if you’re like me you’ll get carried away. You’ll forget
all about your pint-sized kitchen with its countertop the size of a subway
seat. Every year I come home with more apples than I can possibly eat, share or
give away. What to do?!
The answer is as easy as… pie.
Try this pie recipe with its farm fresh apples and buttery
crust. The filling is sweet with a bite, incorporating equal parts Pink
Lady (sweet rose-colored apples) and Granny Smith (tart and tangy light green
apples).
The crust is a pâte brisée using only pure (and preferably
locally made) butter. Shrugging off the need for sugar or any artificial sweeteners,
I added a spicy twist by grinding in fresh cinnamon instead.
Serve with a scoop vanilla ice cream or fancy it up with a
dollop of crème fraîche.
“Farm Fresh Apple Pie with Cinnamon-Butter Crust”
Ingredients
Crust:
2 1/2 flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh
ground cinnamon
optional: scant
pinch of ground clove
1 cup unsalted
butter, chilled and cut into dice sized cubes
1/2 cup ice
water
Filling:
6 farm fresh
organic apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick – use 3 sweet apples (Pink
Lady or others) and 3 tart apples (Granny Smith are the best)
¼ cup + ½ teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon granulated
white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh
lemon juice
½ teaspoon fresh ground
cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon
unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons
all-purpose flour
optional: sub-in 1 teaspoon of honey instead of the white
sugar
Directions:
Cook’s note – This recipe makes use of New York’s diverse
range of apple choices – the sweet and the tart – and combines them to make a
fresh and flavorful apple pie with an unabashedly buttery crust!
Preheat oven to 425F
Place oven rack on lowest level. Place a baking sheet there
and cover with tin foil (the pie will sit on top of the baking sheet, so that
it will catch any juices as the pie bakes).
The crust:
In a food processor, place the flour, salt and cinnamon and
process until combined. Add the chilled cubes of butter and process until the
mixture resembles cornmeal (10 seconds or more). Slowly pour ¼ cup of the ice water through
the feed tube until the dough holds together (15-30 seconds tops). Place the dough on a lightly floured surface
and shape into a ball. Divide in half, and flatten to two discs, wrap and refrigerator
for at least one hour. (This is the time to prepare the filling –
see below). Remove the discs and place on a lightly floured
surface. Roll each into a 12-inch circle, constantly lifting and turning it a
quarter as you roll the pin from the center outward. You are now ready to shape
the dough into the pie pan. Add the filling at this point, covering with the
second circle of 12 inch rolled dough, pinching tightly at the edges, so that
the two outward layers of dough crimp together securely. Using a knife make
four two inch vents in the top crust.
The filling:
In a large bowl combine the sliced apples with the sugar,
lemon juice, ground cinnamon and salt. Let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
This softens the apples. Pour the filling into the bottom crust, dotting the
top with small pieces of butter (no more than a tablespoon’s worth).
Place on the center of the baking sheet positioned on the
bottom rack, and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and place a foil ring around the outer edges of crust
to prevent browning. Place the pie back in the oven and continue to bake for 20
more minutes (or until the juices begin bubbling through the slits and the
apples feel tender).
