Sugar Kissed Apple Pie Food

SUGAR-KISSED APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F. In medium bowl, mix 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
• Gather pastry into a ball. Divide pastry in half; shape each half into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap flattened rounds of pastry in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until firm and cold, yet pliable.
• On lightly floured surface, roll 1 round of pastry into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate, using floured rolling pin. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.
• In large bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg and dash of salt. Stir in apples. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over apples. Trim overhanging edge of bottom pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate.
• Roll other round of pastry. Fold pastry into fourths and cut slits so steam can escape; place over filling and unfold. Trim overhanging edge of top pastry 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute. Brush top crust with 1 tablespoon water; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours.

SWEET APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom pastry; trim pastry even with edge of plate. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; add apples and toss to coat. Stir in toffee bits. Pour into crust. Dot with butter., Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; make decorative cutouts in the pastry. Place pastry over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Top with cutouts; brush top pastry with cream if desired. Cover edges loosely with foil., Bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator.

NO-ADDED-SUGAR APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk together the cornstarch, cinnamon and 1/4 of the apple juice.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer the apples in the remaining apple juice until tender. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened.
• Pour into bottom crust and cover with top crust. Bake for 45 minutes.

OLD FASHIONED ENGLISH APPLE PIE WITH A KISS AND A SQUEEZE!

Steps:

• To prepare the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl, then stir in the sugar. Add the butter in pieces and rub into the flour with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in enough water to hold the mixture together, then form into a smooth ball.
• Wrap in foil or grease-proof paper and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into two and roll out one half on a floured board into a circle to fit the base of a well greased 20cm/8inch pie dish.
• Put the apples in a mixing bowl, then stir in the remaining filling ingredients. Spoon into the dough lined pie dish. Roll out the remaining dough into a circle to form the lid. Lay over the filling, pressing down and sealing the edge with water. Flute the edge with your fingers or crimp with the prongs of a fork. Brush with a little milk and dredge with caster sugar. Make a slit in the centre of the pie for the steam to escape, or use a pie funnel.
• Bake on a baking sheet in the centre of a hot oven (200 degrees C/400 degrees F) for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to moderate (180 C/350 F) and continue baking for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. If the pastry starts to brown too quickly, cover the top with some greaseproof paper.
• Allow to cool slightly for 5 minutes before serving.
• Serve with wedges of cheese, or with cream, custard or ice cream.

BROWN SUGAR APPLE PIE TO DIE FOR

Steps:

• If you haven't already, prepare the pastry and refrigerate for at least one hour, until firm enough to roll.
• On a sheet of lightly floured wax paper, roll the larger portion of pastry into a 13 1/2-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Center it, then peel off the paper. Gently tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and let the overhang drape over the edge of the pan. Refrigerate. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• While the pie shell chills, make the filling. Combine the apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl; toss well to mix. Set aside while you roll the top pastry.
• On another sheet of lightly floured wax paper, roll the other half of the pastry into an 11 1/2-inch circle. Turn the filling into the refrigerated pie shell, smoothing the apples with your hands. Dot the top of the pie with butter, dropping the pieces here and there over the apples.
• Lightly moisten the rim of the pie shell with a wet finger or pastry brush. Invert the top pastry over the filling, center it, then peel off the paper. Press the top and bottom pastries together along the dampened edge. Trim the pastry with scissors or a paring knife, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang all around, then sculpt the overhang into an upstanding ridge. Make several 2-inch-long slits in the top pastry, at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions; the bottom of each slit should just reach the ege of the pie. Lightly brush the top pastry with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
• Place the pie directly on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and place it on a large, dark baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F Put the pie on the baking sheet back in the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes; when the pie is done, you should be able to see the juices bubbling up onto the crust.
• Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and let cool for at least an hour before slicing.

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.

MILE-HIGH APPLE PIE WITH BROWN SUGAR STREUSEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Prepare filling: toss apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl; set aside.
• Prepare crust: put flour, 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening, and salt in a bowl. Work it with a pastry blender until shortening is the size of small peas. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, working it in with the pastry blender.
• Gather up the dough and form it into a flat disc. Turn it out onto a lightly floured board and roll it into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan and flute the edges. Spoon the apple filling into the crust.
• Prepare topping: gather flour, brown sugar, and butter in a bowl. Work with a pastry blender until butter is the size of large peas. Sprinkle topping generously on top of the pie.
• Place the pie on top of a foil-covered cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake until topping is golden and filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes more.
• Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool before serving, about 30 minutes.