Apple Cinnamon Christmas Pie Food

CINNAMON-SUGAR APPLE PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix flour and salt; cut in lard until crumbly. Gradually add milk, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., For filling, in a large bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Add apples and toss to coat. Cover; let stand 1 hour to allow apples to release juices, stirring occasionally., Drain apples, reserving syrup. Place syrup and, if desired, bourbon in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly and turns a medium amber color. Remove from heat; cool completely., Preheat oven to 400°. Toss drained apples with flour and salt. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 10-in. cast-iron or other deep ovenproof skillet. Trim pastry even with rim. Add apple mixture. Pour cooled syrup over top; dot with butter., Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Brush milk over pastry; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes., Reduce oven setting to 350°. Bake 45-55 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

CANDY APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, toss apples with lime juice. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt; add to apples and toss lightly. , On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Add filling; dot with butter. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top., Bake until golden brown and apples are tender, 40-45 minutes., For topping, melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in brown sugar and cream; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in pecans. , Pour over top crust. Bake until bubbly, 3-4 minutes longer. Place on a wire rack. Serve warm.

CHRISTMAS APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Divide the pastry into 2 parts, one a little larger than the other. Wrap the larger piece in plastic wrap and reserve. On a lightly floured surface, roll the smaller piece into a round, 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick, large enough to overlap a 10 by 2-inch pie plate. Arrange in the pie plate and even with a sharp knife, leaving about a 1/2-inch overhang. (Add the trimmings to the reserved dough). Tuck the overhang back under, making a slightly thicker edging. Chill for 30 minutes. If using a glass pie plate, remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before filling.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the reserved piece of dough into a 12-inch square, about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out a piece of cardboard, 1/2-inch wide and 10 or 12 inches long. Wrap the strip in plastic wrap and use as a guide. With a sharp knife or a pastry cutter, cut the dough into 20 (1/2-inch) strips. Lay 10 strips vertically on the back of a large baking pan, leaving a very small space between strips. Weave a lattice pattern by placing each of the remaining strips over and under horizontally. (It's easier to weave if the dough is not too firm, but it can't be too soft, either. If it's too soft, refrigerate for a little while and then continue). To weave, turn back every other strip of dough (1, 3, 5, etc.), lay a horizontal strip across, as close to the top as possible, and return the turned-back strips to the original length.
• For the next row, alternate the strips that you turn back (2, 4, 6, etc.) and again place a horizontal strip across, close to the first strip. Repeat this procedure until all the strips are used. Refrigerate just until firm. Using a 9-inch cardboard round, a plate, or a pot cover as a guide, cut out a 9-inch circle of latticework and refrigerate on the baking pan until needed. (Excess dough can be wrapped and refrigerated or frozen for future use).
• Peel, core and quarter the apples. Cut into 1/4-inch slices. In 2 or 3 large skillets, melt the butter (2 or 3 tablespoons in each skillet, depending upon how many you use) and brown. The butter will have a slightly nutty aroma. Divide the apples, arrange in the pans, and coat with the butter. Sprinkle in the sugar and over medium-high heat, saute the apples until lightly caramelized and tender, 15 to 20 minutes, turning often so that the apples cook evenly. Pour in 1 tablespoon of Calvados and the brandy and cook until the alcohol burns off. Pour in the cream and stir through. Transfer and spread over a large baking tray to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Warm the remaining 1/4 cup Calvados. Combine the chopped prunes, apricots, and figs in a small bowl. Pour the Calvados over and let plump.
• In a large bowl, combine the cooled apples and the plumped dried fruit. Stir in the lemon juice, cinnamon, lemon and orange zests, and nutmeg, and mix well. Spoon the filling into the prepared pie plate. Using a wide spatula, carefully transfer the 9-inch latticework circle and arrange on top of the filling. Brush the latticework with egg white and sprinkle with the crystallized sugar. Bake 30 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake 35 to 40 minutes longer, until the crust is golden brown. Cool on a rack. Serve warm.
• In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour and sugar. Add the butter and process until the texture resembles fine meal.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks and 1 tablespoon of the cream. Scrape into the machine and process until a ball begins to form, using the additional tablespoon of cream, if necessary. Remove the dough from the machine, and on a lightly floured surface, press down into a circle. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

CINNAMON BUN APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with 1 piece of dough; refrigerate until ready to assemble.
• Make the cinnamon-roll crust: Lay the remaining piece of dough on a lightly floured surface and spread the butter evenly on top. Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over the butter, then gently press with your fingers to help the mixture adhere. Roll the pie dough into a tight log. Trim and discard about 1 1/2 inches from both ends; cut the remaining log crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Arrange the pieces cut-side down in a snug circle on floured parchment paper. Lightly dust with more flour, then gently roll out into a 10-inch round. Slide the parchment onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to assemble the pie.
• Peel and thinly slice the apples. Toss with the lemon juice, vanilla and the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon in a large bowl. Transfer to the dough-lined pie plate; invert the cinnamon-roll crust on top and peel off the parchment (it's OK if the individual rounds separate a bit in the process). Pinch the crusts together; fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp as desired. Brush with the beaten egg.
• Set the pie on the hot baking sheet in the oven; bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes. (Tent loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly.) Transfer to a rack to cool slightly.
• Whisk the confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons milk in a bowl until smooth. (Add more milk if the glaze is too thick.) Drizzle over the pie.

ULTIMATE APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Put a layer of paper towels on a large baking sheet. Quarter, core, peel and slice the apples about 5mm thick and lay evenly on the baking sheet. Put paper towels on top and set aside while you make and chill the pastry.
• For the pastry, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until just mixed. Break in a whole egg and a yolk (keep the white for glazing later). Beat together for just under 1 min - it will look a bit like scrambled egg. Now work in the flour with a wooden spoon, a third at a time, until it's beginning to clump up, then finish gathering it together with your hands. Gently work the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film, and chill for 45 mins. Now mix the 140g/5oz sugar, the cinnamon and flour for the filling in a bowl that is large enough to take the apples later.
• After the pastry has chilled, heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Lightly beat the egg white with a fork. Cut off a third of the pastry and keep it wrapped while you roll out the rest, and use this to line a pie tin - 20-22cm round and 4cm deep - leaving a slight overhang. Roll the remaining third to a circle about 28cm in diameter. Pat the apples dry with kitchen paper, and tip them into the bowl with the cinnamon-sugar mix. Give a quick mix with your hands and immediately pile high into the pastry-lined tin.
• Brush a little water around the pastry rim and lay the pastry lid over the apples pressing the edges together to seal. Trim the edge with a sharp knife and make 5 little slashes on top of the lid for the steam to escape. (Can be frozen at this stage.) Brush it all with the egg white and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for 40-45 mins, until golden, then remove and let it sit for 5-10 mins. Sprinkle with more sugar and serve while still warm from the oven with softly whipped cream.

OLD-FASHIONED CINNAMON CANDY APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Cut lard into flour and salt, mix with enough ice water to hold together.
• Roll out half of dough and line an 8 or 9" pie pan. Roll another circle for top with other half.
• In large mixing bowl, stir together filling ingredients except apples and candies.
• Fold in apples well.
• Turn into pastry-lined pan and dot with butter.
• Sprinkle with 2 Tbl. cinnamon candies.
• Cover with top crust and seal edges.
• Cut slits in top, brush with milk.
• Sprinkle with a little sugar.
• Bake about 1 hour at 350 degrees.