Holiday Apple Pie Food

BACON TOPPED HOLIDAY APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Place pie crust in 9-inch pie plate and flute edges as desired.
• Toss together apples and orange juice in large bowl. Add cranberries, walnuts and fresh ginger; mix well.
• Stir together flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in small bowl. Add to apples and toss until apples are evenly coated. Pour mixture into prepared pie crust.
• Weave bacon slices together over top of pie, leaving 1-inch spaces between slices (4 slices by 4 slices); tuck ends of strips under apples where needed. Sprinkle remaining 3 tablespoons brown sugar over top of bacon slices.
• Bake pie in 425 degrees F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F and bake approximately 50 minutes until bacon is browned and crisp. Cover edges of crust if start to get too dark. Let pie stand 15 minutes before slicing to serve. Cover and refrigerate leftovers. Pie is best served warm.

7UP HOLIDAY APPLE PIE PUNCH

Steps:

• Add the ingredients to 1 gallon punch bowl.
• Garnish the punch bowl with slices of green apples, lemons and limes.

MAKE-AHEAD DEEP-DISH APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For the pie dough: Pulse the flour, 4 tablespoons of the butter, the lard, sugar and salt in a food processor until the mixture has the consistency of a fine meal. Add the remaining 8 tablespoons butter, and pulse until you have pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle the vodka and water over the mixture, and pulse until the dough just comes together. Evenly divide the dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, and gently press or pat into rounds. Wrap tightly, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour up to overnight. (The dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
• For the filling: Peel and core the apples, then cut them into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Toss with the sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the firmer apples soften but hold their shape, 15 to 18 minutes. (The softer apples, like McIntosh, will get very soft and saucy.) Add the flour, cinnamon, cream and salt, and stir until the juices thicken, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and let cool completely. (The filling can be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days ahead.)
• To assemble: Roll out 1 disk of dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface or between 2 pieces of floured parchment or wax paper. (If the dough gets too warm, refrigerate it to firm it up.) Ease it into a deep 9 1/2-inch pie pan. Mound the cooled filling slightly in the center of the dough, and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
• Roll out the remaining disk of dough into a 12-inch round. Place it over the filling, and press the 2 crusts together around the edge. Fold the overhanging dough under itself, and crimp as desired. Brush the top and edges with heavy cream, and sprinkle generously with sugar. Pierce the top with a knife a few times (or make decorative cutouts) to let steam escape. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• To bake: Position an oven rack in the bottom slot of the oven, set a baking sheet on it and preheat to 425 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. Place the pie on the hot baking sheet, and lower the heat to 375 degrees F. Bake until the pie is golden and the filling is bubbly, 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, rotating as needed. (Cover the edge of the crust with foil if it browns too quickly.) Transfer to a rack, and let cool until set, 3 hours.
• Serve the cooled pie, or wrap it tightly in foil, label and date, and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Warm it in a 350-degree-F oven for 20 minutes before serving.

HOLIDAY APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 F.
• Place bottom layer of pie pastry into a 9" pie plate and set aside.
• Cut up butter into small pieces and set aside in a small dish at room temperature.
• Combine apple slices with lemon juice, sugar, flour, apple pie seasoning, and salt, mixing gently to combine well, but without crushing the apple slices.
• Pour filling into pie plate.
• Sprinkle the butter pieces over the top evenly.
• Top pie with top layer of the pie pastry, crimping and sealing edges decoratively.
• Combine egg yolk and water and brush over entire surface of the pie with a pastry brush.
• Cut a few slits in the top crust to allow venting of steam.
• Set a foil lined cookie sheet on the bottom rack of your oven and set the pie on the center rack of your oven (the extra pan will help catch any drips).
• Bake for 15 minutes at 425F.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 F and bake another 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is starting to bubble.
• Let cool before slicing as this will be boiling hot when fresh from the oven (you may serve pie warm or cold).
• NOTE: I check the pie about halfway through the baking process and if the crust edges are getting too brown, I set a pie ring on top; If you don't have a pie ring, you can make one using foil.

HOLIDAY FRUIT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, water and honey. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until berries pop, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly., In a large bowl, combine pineapple, cornstarch and cinnamon; stir in cranberry mixture and apple. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of pastry dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry even with rim. Add filling., Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Bake 45-55 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cover pie loosely with foil during the last 30 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove foil. Cool on a wire rack.

MOM'S MAPLE-APPLE PIE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat., Unroll one pastry sheet into a 9-in. pie plate; trim even with rim. Add filling. Dot with butter; drizzle with 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Unroll remaining pastry; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Brush pastry with 1 tablespoon maple syrup., Bake at 425° for 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cover pie loosely with foil during the last 20 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove foil. Cool on a wire rack. If desired, serve with warm maple syrup.

HOLIDAY APPLE PIE

Steps:

• 1. Mix 3 tablespoons of the butter with 1/4 cup of the flour, 4 tablespoons of the sugar and the 2 cups of old fashioned oats in small bowl and set aside. Peel and quarter apples and set aside. use 1 Pillsbury pie crust or crust of your own making, line pie plate and flute edges. For airy pie crust, sprinkle crust with sugar and cinnamon and pierce with fork.
• 2. Mix the rest of the flour, sugars, and spices together in large bowl. Stir in walnut pieces, cranberries and apple slices, lightly coating all of the apples, nuts and cranberries in the dry mixture.
• 3. Place the fruit mixture into the pie plate and spread evenly, taking the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and cut in slices across the top. Cover the top with the oat crumb mixture. Drizzle caramel over the top and bake in oven one hour at 350.

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.