By the way, if you are one of "those" cooks who keeps your recipes secret, get over yourself. Not to be mean, but why would you keep something wonderful a secret? It is my belief that great food is like art. Wouldn't you like to see the Mona Lisa in a museum rather than know it's hidden away somewhere in someones house? Besides, everyone, and every kitchen is different. Even if I make the same dish, side by side with someone else, the end result will still taste different. So, with out further delay, Apple Pie....
Apple Pie
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Crust:
*This will make 1 bottom and 1 top crust.
1 1/4 cups flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 tsp. salt
Pinch of sugar
*One of my "pinches" is my thumb and first three fingers.
4oz (one stick) unsalted butter cut into cubes
*Using unsalted butter allows you to control how salty the crust will be, since you can add salt until it fits your taste.
1/4 cup ice water
Step 1:
Take your chilled stick of butter and cut it lengthwise into four quarter sticks, then cut crosswise into 1/2 inch cubes. Put the cubed butter back in the fridge for 30 min or until very firm.
Step 2:
Combine the dry ingredients.
Step 3:
>If using a food processor, put in the dry ingredients + butter and pulse until it looks like wet sand. This happens quickly, in about 5 - 10 one second pulses. If you have a couple small lumps of butter still in the mix, don't worry about it. It’s better to under mix than over do it.
>If mixing by hand, put the dry ingredients + cubed butter into a large bowl. *I always wash my hands in super chilled water until my fingers feel cold right before mixing. Using only your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour until it looks like wet sand.
Step 4:
Get a glass of ice water. Pour in 1/8 cup and mix with your finger tips until you see the dough start to come together. Add a Tbsp at a time until the dough barely holds in a large ball. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and press flat into 2 thick disks (if one is slightly larger, remember to use that one for the bottom crust). If the edges are cracking, gently press them in using a cupped hand, and your other hand lightly pressing down on the dough disk. Wrap the disks in plastic and put them in the fridge for 1 hour.
Filling:
*Okay, this you can do right after you put your crust in the fridge to chill.
Apples
*If you have "softball size" apples, you'll need about 3. If they are "baseball size", you'll need 4. Also, use a thin skinned apple, such as Pink Lady or Fuji.
Lemon Juice
Apple Juice
Light Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Nutmeg (freshly grated please)
Orange Zest (roughly ½ a large orange)
1 – 2 Tbsp Flour
Step 1:
Cut the apples in half and core them, but leave the skin on so they hold themselves together later on. Slice them 1/8 inch thick (use a mandolin or slicer, it goes 100 times faster and you get perfect slices) and place them in a large bowl. *I usually discard (eat) the slices on the end that are mostly skin and odd shaped. You should end up with a little more than 3 cups.
Step 2:
Add 1 -2 Tbsp of lemon juice to apples. Using a high quality (organic or unfiltered *I like Trader Joes Brand) apple juice, cover the apples until they are all submerged. *You might need to use a bowl or weight to keep them from floating. Let them soak while your pie crust is chilling, 45 min – 1 hour.
Step 3:
*Take your crust out of the fridge at this point, but leave it wrapped in plastic.
Strain the apples, but don’t let them dry! Immediately put about ¼ - 1/3 cup brown sugar over them and fold with a spatula (or your hands) until coated. The apple slices should look “dirty” but not completely covered in sugar.
Step 4:
This is when you sprinkle on the Cinnamon (about 1 Tbsp), freshly grated nutmeg (about ¼ - ½ tsp), and orange zest. Fold and mix until you see little flecks of orange zest evenly spread all over the apples.
Step 5:
TASTE THE APPLES. I can’t begin to say how important this is. Grab a slice and take a bite. Ask yourself, “Does this taste beautiful? Do I want it to be spicier and add more cinnamon? Is it too tart and do I need more sugar? Do I get an aroma of orange zest? Can I detect the sweet, nutty smokiness of nutmeg?” This is when you make the pie YOURS. There’s nothing in the filling at this point that has to be cooked in order to taste it, so sample away!
Step 6:
Sprinkle over with 1 – 2 Tbsp flour until it has obsorbed the juices that have probably started to form at the bottom of the bowl. Fold/mix well until your apples look like they have a very light, thin sauce on them.
All Together Now!
Step 1:
Flour your work surface and rolling pin lightly and unwrap the first dough disk. Place it on the floured surface and sprinkle a little four on top.
*This next step is very important! You get ONE shot at rolling out the dough. You cannot lump it back together and start over if you mess up. Over folding, or (God forbid) kneading, the dough will create gluten strands and your dough will turn into glue. A butter based pie crust should crumble when it’s done, not snap.
Step 2:
Place your rolling pin in the middle of the disk and roll away from yourself pressing down just enough to spread the dough slightly. Turning the disk 1/6 of a turn, continue to roll it out until it fits the pie dish with some edge hanging over.
Step 3:
Pour in the apple filling and even it out. Roll out the top crust, and gently lay over the top. Leaving enough dough to seal the pie, trim the edges and then pinch together. Cut a small X in the middle of the top crust and bake for 40 min.
Step 4:
Beat one egg in a small bowl. Take the pie out after 40 min and brush with the beaten egg until glossy, then sprinkle liberally with sugar. Put the pie back in the oven for another 10 – 15 min until golden brown and glistening on top.
Allow to cool, top with a spoonful of Creme Fraiche (or vanilla ice cream) and enjoy!
