Easy Peasy Apple Pie with It's Family Meal Time

Join our friend Chef Jesse Cudworth of It's Family Meal Time as he shows us how to make the quintessential apple pie, just in time for the holidays!  View the video and recipe below!

 

Easy Peasy Apple Pie

For the Pie Dough

15 oz unbleached all-purpose flour
10 oz ice cold butter
8 oz ice cold water
1 tsp Kosher salt

Start by tossing the flour and salt together in a KitchenAid Mixer bowl (or any stand up mixer), add all of the cold butter. Mix at medium speed until it forms a sandy texture, then slowly add in the cold water until a cohesive dough forms, be sure not to overturn, it should be loose. Divide into two halves, one for the base and one the for lattice topping. Mold each into a ball, separately wrap both doughs in plastic wrap and stick in the fridge to rest for one hour.

For the Apple Filling

8 large apples - washed, peeled, cored & cubed (save the peels)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
The juice of one lemon
½ cup of flour
1 tbsp freshly grated ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp of ground allspice
For the Cinnamon/Sugar Mix
1 tbsp powdered cinnamon
2 tbsp white sugar

Start by peeling all apples and don’t forget to save the skins, as we will be making Apple Peel Crisps to garnish the pie with. Add the apple cider vinegar, ginger, lemon, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice (we prefer to use fresh ingredients, but powdered spices work just fine too) into a large bowl and mix by hand until all apples are evenly coated. In a small bowl, mix the ground cinnamon and white sugar together with a spoon and set aside.

There is no need to oil the pan before putting the pie dough base in because there’s enough butter in the dough to keep it from sticking. Lightly flour a clean surface as well as the dough for the base. Get the flour lightly coated on your hands as well as your rolling pin and roll out the dough ⅛” thick. To transfer the rolled out dough into your pie pan, roll it onto your rolling pin, very lightly, and unravel onto the pie pan. Do not trim the edges. Season the base with the Cinnamon/Sugar Mix for some extra flavor (leave enough to season the other half of the dough as well). Pour the Apple Filling on top of the base, and flatten out so that it is evenly spread throughout (be sure to use light pressure, you don’t want to destroy the integrity of the pie dough).

For the Lattice Topping

Take the other half of your pie dough and roll out to the same thickness as the base (⅛” thick). Once again dust liberally with the Cinnamon/Sugar Mix. Use a straight edge to divide the dough into 1” equal pieces.

Start by laying one column down vertically, Cinnamon/Sugar side down, in the center of the pie. Making sure they’re about ½” apart, continue to the left and then right. Fold every other strand half way up, then lay one column down horizontal, right at the halfway mark (it should be in the middle of the pie). Fold the strands back on top of the horizontal column and continue, switching between every other strand, from left to right.

For the Egg Wash

1 full egg
2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Fat is flavor people! Take a brush and lightly brush the egg wash all over the top of the pie. Let the pie rest in the fridge for 25 minutes before popping it into the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and set the pie in for 20 minutes. While you’re waiting for that to bake, start prepping the Apple Peel Crisps (see ingredients and instructions below). Once the timer goes off, drop the temperature to 375 degrees for an additional 30 minutes.

For the Apple Peel Crisps

3 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Spritz of water

Take apple peels and toss in a bowl with freshly grated nutmeg, a ridiculous amount of sugar, and a spritz of water until they’re evenly coated with the sugar mixture. Lay onto some parchment paper on a baking sheet and evenly spread the apple peels on top, then stick in the oven on the bottom shelf, while the pie finishes baking, for 30 minutes. Be sure to toss the peels with a pair of tongs halfway through baking. Cool both the Pie and the Apple Peel Crisps to room temperature before slicing and serving.

For the best results, after the pie is room temperature, set in the refrigerator overnight, or for a couple of hours before digging in. The crips should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, if put in the refrigerator, they will lose their crispiness. Best served with Macadamia Nut Ice Cream with a garnish of Apple Peel Crisps. Enjoy!


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