Autumn Apple Slab Pie Food

APPLE SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Make pie crust: Whisk together flour, sugar and salt in the bottom of a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, 2 forks, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the biggest pieces of butter are the size of peas. (You'll want to chop your butter into the small bits first, unless you're using a very strong pastry blender in which case you can throw the sticks in whole.).
• Gently stir in the water with a rubber spatula, mixing it until a craggy mass forms. Get your hands in the bowl and knead it just two or three times to form a ball. Divide dough roughly in half, one being slightly larger than the other. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and flatten a bit, like a disc.
• Chill in fridge for at least an hour or up to two days or slip plastic wrapped dough into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 to 2 months. To defrost, leave in frig for 1 day.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line bottom of 10x15x1 inch baking sheet or jellyroll pan with parchment paper.
• Prepare filling: In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice until coated. Top with remaining filling ingredients and stir to evenly coat.
• Assemble pie: On a lightly floured surface, roll one of your dough halves (the larger one first) into an 18x13 inch rectangle. Do your best to work quickly, keeping the dough as cold as possible and using enough flour that it doesn't stick to the counter. Transfer to your prepared baking sheet and gently drape some of the overhang in so that the dough fills out the inner edges and corners. Some pastry will spill over the sides of the pan; trim this to 3/4 inch.
• Pour apple mixture over prepared pan and spread evenly.
• Roll the second of your dough halves (the smaller one) into a 16x11 inch rectangle. Drape over filling and fold the bottom crust's overhang over the edges sealing them together. Cut small slits to act as vents all over the lid. Brush lid with heavy cream or egg wash. Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until just warm to the touch, about 45 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, stir together confectioner's sugar and liquid of your choice until a pourable glaze consistency is reached. Use a spoon to drizzle over top. Serve slab pie in squares or rectangles, warm or at room temperature.
• It keeps at room temperature for at least 3 days.

APPLE SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 15-by-10-by-1-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix the salt, 4 cups of the flour and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add 1 tablespoon of the water at a time to moisten it and mix, repeating until a dough starts to form. Knead the dough into a ball. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a rectangle. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Lightly flour a work surface and roll 1 piece of dough into a 19-by-13-inch rectangle. Place the dough on the prepared pan and ease it onto the pan and up the sides, making sure not to stretch the dough too much so it doesn't become too thin. Trim the leftover dough, leaving just enough to cover the sides of the pan. Fold the dough as desired on the edges.
• In a large bowl, combine the apple slices, cinnamon and remaining 1/3 cup flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Toss until the apples are coated. Arrange the apple mixture evenly on the dough.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the remaining piece of dough into a rectangle. With leaf-shaped cookie cutters, cut out dough leaves. Arrange the leaves on top of the apple mixture to cover the pie; it is okay to leave some space in between the leaves so you can see the apple filling. Brush the egg wash on top of the leaves.
• Bake until the apples are cooked through and the top crust is evenly golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

AUTUMN APPLE SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Combine flour, butter, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Stir water and vinegar together in a bowl.
• Pour 1/2 the water mixture into the flour mixture in the food processor. Pulse to combine. Pour in remaining water mixture and pulse until dough just starts to come together but is still crumbly.
• Turn dough out onto a wooden surface. Pat into a round shape and cut into 3 equal pieces. Form each into a disc about 5 inches wide, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Toss apples and lemon juice together in a bowl. Sprinkle flour over apples and toss to coat. Gently mix in brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice until apples are thoroughly coated. Fold in raisins and walnuts.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Flour a work surface and roll out 2 of the 3 dough pieces into a rectangle about 12x18 inches in size and about 1/4-inch thick. Gently place crust into a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan and press dough into corners. Trim excess dough so there is only 1 inch of overhang on all sides. Gently fold overhanging dough underneath itself and crimp along all edges of the pan. Use a fork to poke indentations sporadically in the bottom of the crust to prevent bubbling.
• Pour filling into the crust and spread out evenly.
• Roll out remaining dough piece on a floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Use decorative cookie cutters to cut out several pieces of pie dough and place cut-outs on top of filling in a pattern.
• Beat egg and water together in a bowl. Gently brush egg wash over the edges of the pie crust and on the pie crust cut-outs.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown and apples are soft when gently pierced with a knife, 55 to 65 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving, about 30 minutes.