Old-Fashioned All-American Apple Pie

Kosher Desserts

applepie

Adapted from Jasper White's Cooking from New England, by Jasper White

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted margarine, cold
about 7 tablespoons water, ice cold

Apple filling:
6 - 8 firm and slightly tart apples, such as Rhode Island Greenings, Gravensteins or Granny Smiths (about 3 pounds)
Granulated sugar (see Note*)
Ground cinnamon
About 3 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons margarine, cut into small bits

Directions:

Prepare** the pie dough, divide half and roll out each half no more than 1/4 inch thick. Line a 9-inch pie pan with one. Keep lined pan and top crust chilled.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel and core the apples and slice them about 1/4 inch thick. Toss with sugar and cinnamon to taste and with the flour. Fill the pie with the apple slices, mounding them somewhat in the center. Dot with margarine. Cover loosely with the top crust, using a little water to seal the crusts together. Crimp the edges. Using a fork or the tip of a knife, make several vents in the top crust.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown. The smell will tell you when it is ready. Serve while still warm.

Preparing Pie Dough:**
Mix together the flour and salt. Cut the butter into pieces the size of a walnut (about 1 1/2 tablespoons). Mix the flour and butter together in a large bowl, using only your hands, until the butter begins to break up.

When the flour has just begun to pick up a little color from the butter , add the water, a bit at a time, and mix until the dough starts to come together. Since the exact amount of water needed will always vary, you have to develop a feel for how much to use.

Remove the dough from the bowl to a floured surface and knead briefly, just until the dough begins to smooth out. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate immediately. Allow the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to roll out the dough, divide it in half. Place one half on a floured surface; return the other half to the refrigerator. To roll out the dough, form each half into a flat circle and quickly roll it out in the shape required. Always roll the dough very thin (about 1/4 inch). Line the pie pan with one half and set aside the second half for the upper crust. Refrigerate until ready to use.

When assembling the pie, wet the edges where the two crusts join, to form a seal. Using your thumb and index finger, crimp them together. Make vents for the steam to escape.

Notes:

*note: The amount of sugar is determined by how sweet the apples are. It would be a mistake to over sweeten or over season them.

Pie Dough:
VARIATION
Roll out the dough in one piece and cut out circles 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter larger than the tartlet forms. Place the circles in the forms and line with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Add beans, rice or pie beads. Prebake blind at 350 degrees. Cooking time is determined by final use.

Makes one double-crust nine-inch pie or twelve tartlet shells

This crust is an excellent choice for double-crust fruit pies. For a single-crust pie, simply divide the recipe in half. The dough may also be used for tartlets

blog comments powered by Disqus

Kosher Desserts

Kosher food recipes cookbook reviews on Kosher products by Koshereye Copyright Since 2009

Kosher food recipes cookbook reviews on Kosher products by Koshereye
Copyright Since 2009