Made this beautiful apple pie on Saturday but didn't gobble up the first slice until today. The apples that went into the filling were just what was on hand: gala and fuji, two varieties that I enjoy eating a lot. With a streusel topping, this pie can easily accommodate twice as many chopped apples as what the recipe calls for. I really don't care for the salty taste in the crust, so I may omit it next time.
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| Apple pie fresh from the oven |
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| A slice of apple pie |
Single crust ingredients
1 1/4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp organic granulated sugar
4 oz unsalted cold butter, cut into cubes
1/3 c. ice water (or chilled vodka)
Crust directions:
1. In a food processor, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarsely ground cornmeal. Gradually add the water, pulsing after each addition. You may not even need the entire 1/3 c. of water.
2. Form the dough into a ball and gently roll out to a 1/4" thickness on a lightly floured surface until it is large enough to fill a 9" pie plate. Roll crust onto rolling pin and unroll it on top of the pie plate. Use a unserrated knife to cut away the excess dough from the edge of the plate.
3. You can use the leftover dough crust to make decorative shapes for the top of the pie. I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter for this pie.
4. Put pie plate into the refrigerator until ready to use.
Streusel topping ingredients
1 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
In a bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add melted butter and mix ingredients with a fork until mixture forms crumbs.
Pie filling ingredients:
4 c. apples, peeled and cored, cut into 1/2" chunks
1/2 c. organic granulated sugar
1 tbsp all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
In a bowl, combine apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Pour filling into the pie plate. Add remaining tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle streusel on top of apples. Arrange cookie cut-outs on top of the streusel in a decorative pattern.
Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack before serving.
