Classic Two Crust Apple Pie Food

CLASSIC TWO CRUST APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Peel, core and thinly and thickly slice the apples; toss with lemon juice if using.
• Combine and mix apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; pour into crust-lined pie plate; dot with butter.
• Place top crust, seal and vent; cover edges of crust with narrow band of aluminum foil, shiny side out.
• Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes; reduce temperature to 375°F and bake another 30-40 minutes until filling is bubbling and crust is nicely browned.
• If necessary remove foil last 10 minutes to brown edges.

CLASSIC DOUBLE-CRUST APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For crust:
• Whisk flour and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and shortening and rub in with fingertips until very coarse meal forms. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons water; toss until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic; chill at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften slightly at room temperature before using.)
• For filling:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish with nonstick spray. Stir all apples, 3/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Let stand until juices form, about 15 minutes. Mix in flour.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Place dough in prepared pie dish. Spoon in filling; dot with butter. Roll out second dough disk to 13-inch round. Using small bottle cap, cut out ten 1/2-inch-diameter circles from dough for decoration; discard circles. Drape dough over filling. Seal top and bottom crust edges together; trim to 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under; crimp decoratively. Brush pie with milk. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and large pinch of cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle over pie.
• Transfer pie to baking sheet; place in oven. Immediately reduce temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until crust is golden brown, apples are tender and filling is bubbling thickly, covering edge with foil if browning too quickly, about 2 hours. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely; store at room temperature.)

CLASSIC TWO-CRUST APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For Pastry:
• Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in shortening using a pastry blender or fork until mixture is the consistency of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened.
• Gather pastry into a ball and divide in half. Shape each ball into flattened round on lightly floured surface. If desired, wrap flattened rounds of pasty in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes to slightly firm up the dough.
• Roll pastry out on lightly floured surface, using floured rolling pin, into two circles 2 inches larger than upside-down pie plate. Fold bottom pastry into fourths and place in pie plate; or roll pastry loosely around rolling pin and transfer to pie plate. Unfold or unroll pastry and ease into plate; pressing firmly against bottom and sides and being careful not to stretch pastry.
• Preheat oven to 425º F.
• For the Filling:
• Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Stir in apples. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces, sprinkle over apples. Cover with top pastry, seal and flute. For top crust cut 4 or 5 small slits into the dough for steam to escape while cooking. Cover pie edges with 2-3 inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. Remove foil for last 15 minutes of baking.
• Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slices in top crust. Cool on wire rack for at least 2 hours before serving.

DOUBLE CRUST APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add the apple wedges and saute until slightly softened but holding their shape, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup of sugar and stir to combine. Add the raisins, cinnamon, and cloves and stir.
• In a bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir the mixture into the apple mixture and remove the pan from the heat. Let cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Fill an unbaked bottom crust with apple filling and dot the top crust with the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Top with a rolled-out top crust. Cut 1/2-inch vents in a round-the-clock pattern into the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush the top lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Put the pie on a cookie sheet or other low-sided baking tray to catch any spillage. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, checking occasionally to ensure that the top is browning evenly. Rotate the pie 180 degrees to move the front edge to the back of the oven, and bake until the top is uniformly golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Put the flour and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse a few times until the mixture begins to become mealy and the butter forms plainly visible pea-size nuggets.
• Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon salt in the water. With the motor running, pour in the water and let mix, just until the dough pulls together. Do not over-mix the dough. If it appears dry and is not holding together, add a few additional tablespoons of water.
• Form the dough into a ball, flatten, and wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Lightly flour a pastry board and a rolling pin and unwrap the dough. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and keep the second piece refrigerated. Tamp down the dough with the rolling pin and gently begin to roll it out into a circular pie shape by rolling evenly in one-eighth turns to keep the rolling even. When the dough is rolled out to an even thickness of about 1/8-inch and is about 12 inches in diameter, it is ready to be transferred to a 10-inch pie dish.
• Lightly butter the dish, lift the dough with the rolling pin by partially rolling the dough up on the pin, center the dough in the dish, and unroll. Pierce the dough in several places with the tines of a fork.
• Roll the second half of the dough into a circle slightly larger than the pie dish. Fill the bottom crust with your chosen filling. Cover the filling with the top half of the dough. Using both hands, crimp the edges of the 2 crusts together to seal. With a sharp knife, make several crosshatch slits in the top crust. Brush with the egg wash and bake in a preheated 375 degree Foven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes.

CLASSIC APPLE CRUMB PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a large bowl. Rub the butter pieces into the flour using your fingers until pea-size pieces form. Drizzle in the vinegar and ice water; stir gently with a fork to combine. If the dough doesn't hold together when you squeeze it, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn out the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a disk; wrap tightly. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch round. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang, then tuck the overhanging dough under itself; crimp the edges with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Meanwhile, make the crumb topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Rub the butter into the mixture with your fingers until no longer floury and crumbs form. Freeze until ready to use.
• Make the filling: Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the lowest oven rack; preheat to 400˚. Mix the apples, melted butter, both sugars, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Spoon the filling into the chilled pie crust. Pat the crumb mixture on top.
• Bake the pie on the hot baking sheet until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚ and bake until the apples are completely soft when pierced with a paring knife, 60 to 80 more minutes. (If the topping is getting too dark, cover loosely with foil.) Transfer the pie to a rack to cool completely.

CLASSIC APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Make the filling: Toss the apples with the granulated sugar and lemon juice in a bowl. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring, until the juices are simmering. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the firmer apples soften but still hold their shape, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, cinnamon and salt and toss to thicken the juices, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool. (The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead; cover and refrigerate.)
• Make the crust: Pulse the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening and 4 tablespoons butter; pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add 6 more tablespoons butter and pulse until pea-size pieces form. Add 3 tablespoons ice water and pulse a few times. If the dough doesn't hold together when squeezed, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time. Divide the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pat each into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface (or between 2 sheets of floured parchment) into a 12-inch round. (If the dough gets too warm, refrigerate until firm.) Ease into a 9-inch pie plate. Add the filling, mounding it slightly in the center, and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Transfer the pie to the refrigerator.
• Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch round. Lay the dough over the filling and press the 2 crusts together around the edges. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp as desired. Brush the beaten egg over the top crust and edge; sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Pierce the top crust with a knife a few times to let steam escape. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Put a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom oven rack and preheat to 425˚ F for 30 minutes. Place the pie on the hot pan and reduce the oven temperature to 375˚ F. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 1/2 hours; rotate the pie as needed and cover with foil if the crust browns too quickly. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

MARK'S FAVORITE CLASSIC DOUBLE-CRUST APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For crust: Whisk flour and salt in large bowl to blend.
• Add butter and shortening and rub in with fingertips until very coarse meal forms.
• Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons water; toss until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry.
• Gather dough into ball; divide in half.
• Flatten into disks.
• Wrap in plastic; chill at least 1 hour.
• (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften slightly at room temperature before using.) For filling: Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Spray 9-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish with nonstick spray.
• Stir all apples, 3/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and vanilla in large bowl to blend.
• Let stand until juices form, about 15 minutes.
• Mix in flour.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round.
• Place dough in prepared pie dish.
• Spoon in filling; dot with butter.
• Roll out second dough disk to 13-inch round.
• Using small bottle cap, cut out ten 1/2-inch-diameter circles from dough for decoration; discard circles.
• Drape dough over filling.
• Seal top and bottom crust edges together; trim to 1/2-inch overhang.
• Fold overhang under; crimp decoratively.
• Brush pie with milk.
• Combine remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and large pinch of cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle over pie.
• Transfer pie to baking sheet; place in oven.
• Immediately reduce temperature to 375°F.
• Bake pie until crust is golden brown, apples are tender and filling is bubbling thickly, covering edge with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour.
• Cool 30 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely; store at room temperature.).