Apple Pie

Today's post is dedicated to my cousin Sam. 

My oppa is the boss, the shiznit, the crazyman who's tearing through the streets of LA yelling obscenities. He is also whom I have labeled my "inferior cousin," because it's crystal clear who came from the better end of the gene pool. I definitely have the better brain- that's for certain. I also have the better boobs.

Sam is a Marine- of the few and the proud Marines, just so you know. (He'd appreciate the clarification.) Sam is also 6 feet tall even, smart when he wants to, and strange all the time because that's just how he operates. No one really knows what's in that brain of his, unless he tells you himself. But then again I'm not really sure if he knows what's in his brain.

My cousin Sam is also an absolute sweetheart. He laughs like he means it, and he gives these huge, awesome bear hugs that I love. He spoils you silly and is nice enough to listen to you blab about a stupid boy. Usually after 20 minutes of your ranting he'll only take 2 seconds to come up with an answer, and the really amazing thing is that he turns out to be right all along. Dang it.

What can I say? My cousin is an adult who's forever a kid at heart. He's brave and loyal and fierce and makes mission impossible, possible. He'll annoy the heck out of you then tell you to lighten up, which you probably needed to do anyway.

He's terrible at responding to texts, but he loves anything I bake, so I deal with it. He has also promised not to intimidate/threaten/beat up the guys I date, so I'm really proud of the progress he's made so far. It's been a long, tough road to this gem of a realization.

This is his "You talking about me?" face.

This year he visited post-Christmas with his girlfriend and we went to the aquarium. It was so entertaining to watch him stare at the piranhas. See, I went to stare at Nemo and the jellyfish like a normal person.

I asked him what he wanted as a Christmas/New Year's gift, and he told me he really really wanted a pie. That pies are his favorite, that he can finish a whole pie by himself, that he doesn't care what kind of pie it is as long as it is PIE. Okay, okay, I said, I'll bake you pies.

In fact, I baked him TWO pies: an apple pie, and a pear-cranberry pie. And you know what? I could've baked him a hundred more.That's how extra extra special this crazy person is in my family.

Dear oppa, if you're reading this, I want you to know that I'm not going the route of a corny "I love you" message. Instead I want to you read the rest of this post and admit that I'm the superior cousin. We're settling this debate once and for all. My pies are proof.

But still...you rock.

...and FINE. I love you. Crazy person.







I would've baked an apple pie eventually...awesome cousin or no cousin.

There's no way around skipping apple pie when you're running a food blog. Nope, not possible.

As with most desserts on this blog, apple pie is simply double pie crust + apple filling. Aside from lots of apple peel and flour everywhere and some messy hands, it's a breeze to make. Yeah, you got that right: you can bake an apple pie.

Yes, YOU.

Let's talk apples.

A good rule of thumb in my kitchen is that I use Fujis for anything that calls for apples. I love them. I grew up eating only Fuji apples, and they're what I'm used to. Most apple pie recipes list Granny Smith apples, and I agree that they're good pie apples. For me, though, I like a bit of sweet Fujis with the tart Grannys. So half and half is what goes down in my kitchen. Or all Fujis.

The important thing to remember is that you want to use firm, crisp apples. Why? Mealy or soft apples turn into mush while spending a lot of time inside the hot oven. Gross, nasty, mushy pie filling. Yuck.

I would bet I'm not the only one who wants to eat the apples as they are here: crisp, juicy, and covered in tons of sugar and spices.

Anyone, and I mean anyone, can cut up apples and marinate them with spices. Still not up for the actual pie baking? I have a post on a fantastic apple cobbler you might be willing to try.

There's no way you're still intimidated by pie crust.

Not when I wrote a pie crust tutorial for you. Not when you're awesome and more than capable of rolling your own dough into pie crust yumminess.

I always forget to dice the little pieces of butter on top of the apples.

Why the extra butter on top? For extra moisture, flavor... and saturated fat.

This is a double crusted pie, meaning there's crust on the bottom and a "cover" crust on top.

What that means is that you roll out another sheet of dough, make a little "hole" to let steam escape during baking (I used heart cookie cutters), and place over the apple filling.

Cover...

Trim the ends...

And pinch together to form the edge.

All that's left is an egg wash and a brief rest in the freezer before baking.

I'm sorry there isn't a picture of the finished "heart" apple pie. I had to rush out the door to meet Sam and his girlfriend, and there just wasn't enough time. Still, I had a chance to bake another apple pie, the one you see round and pretty right after the page break.

Your finished pie should look golden and flaky and too delicious to be real. Apparently Sam ate 3/4 of the entire pie by himself. I don't advocate you do that, but I do recommend you bake a pie for someone. It'll make their day.

Here's wishing you have your own "cousin Sam."

Double-Crusted Apple Pie

*makes one 9-inch pie*

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsps all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 recipe Pate Brisee (see recipe below)
• 1 large egg yolk, for egg wash
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream, for egg wash
• 3 pounds assorted apples, (I use Fujis and Granny Smiths) cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 13-inch round, 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate (do not trim overhang). Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
2. Adjust an oven rack to lowest position. Preheat oven to 425 F. Whisk together egg yolk and cream for egg wash.
3. In a large bowl, toss together apples, flour, lemon juice, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined; pour mixture into chilled pie shell, piling in center. Dot mixture with butter.
4. Roll out remaining disk of dough as in step 1. Using a sharp paring knife, cut slits in top of dough. Brush rim of bottom crust with egg wash. Center dough on top of pie plate, and trim with kitchen shears, leaving 1-inch overhang. Tuck dough under bottom piece, and crimp edges as desired. Brush pie with egg wash, and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar, if using. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
5. Transfer the pie plate to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake on lowest rack until crust begins to turn light brown, about 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 F, and bake until crust is golden brown and juices bubble, 60 to 75 minutes more. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Pate Brisee

*makes enough for one 9-inch double crust pie or two 9-inch single crust pies*


Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions:

1. Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor (or whisk together by hand in a bowl). Add butter, and pulse (or quickly cut in with a pastry blender or your fingertips) until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some larger pieces remaining. Drizzle 1/4 cup water over mixture. Pulse (or mix with a fork) until mixture just begins to hold together. If dough is too dry, add 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse (or mix with a fork).
2. Divide dough in half onto two pieces of plastic wrap. Gather into two balls, wrap loosely in plastic, and press each into a disk using a rolling pin. Refrigerate until firm, well wrapped in plastic, 1 hour or up to 1 day. (Dough can be frozen up to 3 months; thaw in refrigerator before using.)

From Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts