SERVES 8
There’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned apple pie spiced with the trinity of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice; brighten it up with a swig of bourbon and it’s a dessert designed for adults. Add a scoop of cinnamon ice cream and it will be over the top, or try the white pepper ice cream (here) or buttermilk sherbet (here) for something a little different.
2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2½ sticks unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
6–8 tablespoons iced water, as needed
8 medium Granny Smith apples
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 egg white
sugar for sprinkling
PLACE the butter in the freezer until needed. Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Mix well. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons water over the mixture and pulse again until the mixture starts to come together. Tip it into a bowl and sprinkle on 4–6 more tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork until the dough is moist enough to be shaped into 2 disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
PREHEAT the oven to 425°F. Peel, core, and cut the apples into ¼-inch slices. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Add the apples and bourbon and toss gently until well mixed. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough and transfer to line a 9-inch pie plate, leave a small overhang. Add apple filling. Roll out the second disk of dough. Lay it carefully across the filling and trim, seal, and flute the pie edges. Make slits in the top with a sharp knife to let steam escape. Beat the egg white until foamy. Brush the pie with egg white and scatter sugar over the top. Bake for 15 minutes at 425°F, then reduce temperature to 375°F and continue to cook for about 45 minutes, checking that the top does not overbrown and the juices are bubbling. If necessary, cover the pie loosely with foil during the last 20 minutes of cooking.