Bon Appetits Special Apple Pie Food

BA'S BEST DEEP-DISH APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in food processor to combine. Add butter and process until largest pieces of butter are pea-size. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Combine vinegar and 1/2 cup ice water in a small bowl and drizzle over flour mixture, mixing with a fork to combine. Mix until shaggy pieces form, then knead in bowl a couple of times with your hands to bring together into a shaggy dough (it will look quite dry). Transfer large clumps of dough to work surface, drizzle 1 Tbsp. ice water over remaining flour mixture in bowl and knead again to bring it together. Add to dough on work surface. Working with half of the dough, press into a single mass, incorporating dry bits, then pat down to make a 3/4"-thick square. Using a bench scraper or knife, divide dough into 4 pieces. Stack pieces on top of one another, placing any unincorporated dry bits in between layers, and press down to combine. Form dough into a 3/4"-thick disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill at least 2 hours.
• Toss apples with brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, allspice, and cardamom in a large bowl to coat. Let apples sit until they start to release their juices, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
• Let dough sit at room temperature 5 minutes to soften. Working one at a time, roll out disks of dough on a lightly floured surface 1/8" thick. Place each on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill while you prepare the filling.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place apple cider in a medium saucepan and scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add pod. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking occasionally, until reduced by two-thirds. Pour off juices that have accumulated in bowl of apples and add to apple cider. Return to a boil and cook until reduced to about 1/2 cup; remove vanilla pod. Stir cornstarch into 3 Tbsp. water in a small bowl to dissolve, then whisk into apple cider. Cook, whisking constantly, until cider mixture is very thick and bubbling, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly, then scrape over apples; toss to coat.
• Carefully transfer dough round to pie dish. Lift up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish (if too cold to be pliable, let it warm up slightly first). Trim, leaving about 1" overhang. Beat egg with 1 tsp. water in a small bowl and brush over edges of dough. Scrape in apple filling, creating a mound in the center; dot filling with butter. Place remaining dough round over filling. Trim edges of top round, leaving a 1/2" overhang. Fold edge of bottom round up and over; press together to seal. Crimp edge and brush top with remaining egg wash. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and cut a few vents in top. Place pie on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and chill in freezer 10 minutes.
• Bake pie until crust is deep golden brown and juices are thick and bubbling, 1 1/2-2 hours (yes: 2 hours!). Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool at least 4 hours before serving.
• Do Ahead
• Dough can be made 5 days ahead. Keep chilled, or freeze up to 1 month. Pie can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool; store covered with foil at room temperature.

SPICED APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For crust:
• Combine flour, sugar, salt and mace in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in chilled butter and vegetable shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually blend in enough water by tablespoonfuls to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Flatten each into disk. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften dough slightly at room temperature before rolling.)
• For filling:
• Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400°F. In large bowl, toss apples with 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon peel, mace, cloves and allspice.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch-diameter round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter deep dish glass pie plate. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Brush edge of crust lightly with water. Transfer apple mixture to crust, mounding in center. Roll out second dough disk to 12-inch-diameter round. Place atop apples. Trim dough overhang to 1 inch: reserve scraps. Fold top crust edge under bottom crust edge, pressing to seal. Crimp edge decoratively.
• Reroll pastry scraps and cut out leaf shapes. Brush 1 side of each leaf with milk and arrange, milk side down, decoratively atop crust. Cut several slits in crust to allow steam to escape. Brush crust with milk; sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.
• Place pie on baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden brown and juices bubble, covering crust edges with aluminum foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool.

BON APPETIT'S SPECIAL APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For crust: Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Cut in cold butter using pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water and toss mixture gently with a fork until evenly moistened. Gather gently into ball.
• Transfer to lightly floured board and roll into circle slightly larger than a deep 10-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pan and flute a high edge. Set aside.
• For filling: Preheat oven to 450*F. Combine apples, sour cream, sugar, flour, egg, vanilla and salt in large bowl and mix well. Spoon into crust. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350*F and continue baking until filling is slightly puffed and golden brown, about 40 minutes. (If edges of crust begin to brown too quickly, cover with strips of aluminum foil.).
• For topping: Meanwhile, combine walnuts, flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl and mix well. Blend in butter until mixture is crumbly. Spoon over pie and bake 15 minutes longer.

OLD-FASHIONED LATTICE-TOP APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For crust:
• Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball; divide into 2 pieces. Flatten each into disk. Wrap each in plastic; chill 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.)
• For filling:
• Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add apples and toss to blend.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold edge under, forming high-standing rim; crimp. Add filling. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 13-inch round. Cut into twelve 1-inch-wide strips. Arrange 6 strips across pie. Form lattice by arranging 6 strips diagonally across first strips. Gently press ends into crust edges. Brush lattice with milk. Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar. Bake pie 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Continue baking until juices bubble thickly and crust is deep golden, covering edges with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool on rack 1 hour. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand on rack.)

SPECIAL SOUR CREAM APPLE PIE

Steps:

• To prepare the crust: Prepare a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
• Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add water; toss gently with a fork until evenly moistened.
• Gather gently into a ball.
• Transfer to lightly floured board.
• Roll into a circle slightly larger than a deep 10-inch pie plate.
• Ease pastry into pan, and flute the high edge; set aside.
• For the filling: Set oven to 450 degrees.
• In a large bowl, combine all filling ingredients; mix well.
• Spoon into crust.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue baking until filling is slightly puffed and golden brown (about 40 minutes).
• If edges of crust begin to brown too quickly, cover with strips of foil.
• For topping: Meanwhile, combine walnuts, flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl; mix well.
• Blend in room temperature butter until the mixture is crumbly.
• Spoon over the pie; bake for 10-15 minutes longer.