Serves 8
WHEN I WAS CONSIDERING INCLUDING A RELATIVELY STRAIGHTFORWARD APPLE pie recipe in this book, I thought, Does the world really need another option for apple pie? Even if every good midwesterner will make at least one orchard trip per autumn and pick way too many apples, which then demand pie making? So, I went back to that very informal social media pie polling I mentioned a few recipes back.
The consensus was clear: as with photos of babies and cats, people can’t get enough good, classic apple pie recipes. I figure it’s a bit like having extra blankets on hand for when the seasons suddenly shift but you can’t be bothered to turn on the heat. It’s just comforting to know you’ve got one accessible in the event it’s required. So, whether you have a tried-and-true recipe and would never consider another, or you’re the type of person who likes to try a different approach to apple pie every time you make one, I’m happy to share this one, my favorite, with you.
8 cups/950 g thinly sliced Honeycrisp apples (about 6 medium-size to large apples)*
½ cup/100 g granulated sugar
¼ cup/57 g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
4 tablespoons/32 g cornstarch
Nonstick cooking spray for pan
All-purpose flour for dusting
1 double batch My Favorite Pie Crust (here), chilled
2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
Pinch of fine sea salt
Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients, except the cornstarch. Toss to mix well. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
Drain the filling over a 2- to 2½-quart/1.9 to 2.4 L saucepan, pressing down on the fruit gently and catching the liquid—you should have at least ½ cup/113 g of liquid. Return the apples their bowl. Set the pan over high heat and reduce the liquid to about ⅓ cup/75 g, which will take about 5 minutes. You can swirl the pan occasionally, but avoid stirring. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Add the cornstarch to the apples and toss to coat. Pour the apple syrup over the fruit and stir gently to blend.
Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 425°F/220°C. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray a 9-inch/23 cm glass pie plate with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour, knocking out the excess. Place the pie plate on the lined baking sheet.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 dough disk into a 12-inch/30 cm circle. Place the dough in the prepared pie dish. In a small bowl, combine the flour and 2 teaspoons of the sugar. Scatter evenly across the bottom of the dough. Scrape the filling into the crust. Roll out the second dough disk to a 12-inch/30 cm circle. Drape the dough over the filling. With a thin, sharp knife, slice a few vents around the center of the pie. Press to seal the top and bottom crust edges together. Fold the overhang under; crimp decoratively. Freeze the pie until the top crust is firm, about 15 minutes.
In a small cup, whisk together the egg, water, and salt. Brush lightly over the top crust, and sprinkle with remaining 4 teaspoons of sugar.
Bake the pie at 425°F/220°C for 15 minutes. Rotate the pie 180 degrees. Lower the oven temperature to 375°F/190°C. Bake for another 50 to 60 minutes, until the filling is bubbling (the bubbling is key to indicate that the starch has begun to thicken the filling!) and the crust is deeply browned. If the pie’s edges look as if they may burn at any point during the end of the baking time, simply roll the foil from the pan up over the pie’s edges.
Allow the pie to cool completely at room temperature on a wire rack before slicing and serving, at least 3 hours.
TIP > Most double-crust pie recipes have you baking for about an hour in total. I like to take them quite a bit browner, as much as 20 minutes longer, to really develop color and the incredible flavor that comes from the marriage of deeply browned butter and flour. The pastry should be as much as part of a great pie as the filling, and you’re missing out on a key component if your pastry isn’t baked to its full potential. So, let your pies bake for a little longer than you think you should—I assure you it’s really, really hard to actually overcook or burn a pie.
NOTE > Honeycrisps have become one of my favorite baking apples, and as it happens they’re a midwestern invention, first cultivated at the University of Minnesota in 1974, and then finally released to the public in 1991 (hey, perfection takes time!).
*Sometimes I swap out half of the apple slices for some thinly sliced Anjou pears, and that’s never a bad idea, especially in the dreariest part of the winter, when apples and pears are the best fruits to be found.