Apple Pie
★★★★★
PREP TIME
3 hours 35 minutes
COOK TIME
2 hours
MAKES
1 9-inch double-crust pie
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds
(about 4 large) tart, firm apples, such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, peeled and cut to 3/4-inch thick wedges
2 tablespoons
(25 grams) granulated sugar
6 tablespoons
(75 grams) light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon
ground allspice or cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper or cardamom
1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
1
small lemon, peel removed in large 2-inch swaths, plus 1 tablespoon of its juice
1 tablespoon
cornstarch
1
quantity all-butter double-crust pie dough, chilled (see headnote)
1
egg yolk beaten with a splash of water
Instructions
- Combine the apples, sugars, spices, salt, lemon peels, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a large bowl. Toss to coat well, making sure the cornstarch is well distributed. Let macerate for 3 hours at room temperature.
- When the apples have been macerating for an hour, start on the crust: Divide the chilled dough in half, and return one portion back to the fridge. On a floured surface, roll the other portion out to an 11 to 12-inch round, and drape onto the rolling pin. Gently transfer the dough to your pie pan, lifting the edges to let the dough settle in and up the sides. Place the lined pie pan in the fridge. Roll the remaining portion to a 9 1/2-inch round, drape onto the rolling pin, and transfer onto a large baking sheet. Let both top and bottom crusts rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before assembling the pie.
- When the apples are shrunken, tumble into a colander set over a medium saucepan. Transfer the colander to the sink, and let the apples continue to drain while you concentrate the juices in the saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and let burble until very thick and caramel-like, about 1-2 minutes. You should have 1/4 to 1/3 cup syrup. Toss the drained apples with the cornstarch right in the colander.
- Remove the lined pie pan from the fridge. Fill with the apples, slightly doming in the center, and spoon the syrup on top.
- When the oven is ready and the pie has been chilled for at least 30 minutes, brush on remaining egg wash, and sprinkle with flaky salt and turbinado sugar. Cut a few slits into the top crust with a paring knife. Place the pie onto the preheated sheet, and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pie, drop the heat to 350°F, and bake another 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until burbling, burnished on top, and well browned on the bottom (this is why glass pans are handy! If working with a metal pie pan, start checking for doneness at the 1 hour mark).
- For clean slices, let pie cool for at least 2 hours before digging in; otherwise, serve straight from the pan with spoons and vanilla ice cream.
