Apple Pie Surprise

There's nothing as American as apple pie. At least that's what they tell me haha. I made this as a birthday surprise for my dad. I'm just going to pick up some vanilla ice cream and candles and I'll be all set when we celebrate tomorrow! There's a lot of steps but each is simple. It's really impressive to people when you say you made a pie from scratch. As a short cut you could buy a premade frozen pie crust. You could then use a sheet of puff pastry and cut that into strips for the top. Make sure to dock all the puff pastry by poking it all over with a fork so it doesn't puff too much.

You can freeze the uncooked pie, but don't brush it with egg or dust it with sugar beforehand. Place the pie in the freezer for 30 minutes, to harden it slightly, and then double wrap it with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, unwrap the pie and brush it with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake, from the frozen state, until golden brown, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. This is great to keep around because if guests ever surprise you to come over for dinner you know you have dessert finished and waiting.

Ingredients

For Dough
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
7 tablespoons cold butter, diced
3-8 TBS, cold water

For Filling
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 pounds baking apples like Golden Delicious, Cortland, or Mutsu (about 4 large apples)
2/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on the pie
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Generous pinch of ground nutmeg
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1. To Make the dough by hand. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles yellow corn meal mixed with bean sized bits of butter. (If the flour/butter mixture gets warm, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before proceeding.)

2. Sprinkle up to 8 tablespoons of cold water over the mixture. Add water 1 tbs at a time to mixture until you can squeeze dough and it stays formed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour until dough has had time to hydrate and rest.

3. Make the filling. Put the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Peel, halve, and core the apples. Cut each half into 4 wedges. Toss the apple with the lemon juice. Add the sugar and toss to combine evenly.

4. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apples, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer, about 2 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the apples soften and release most of their juices, about 7 minutes.

5. Strain the apples in a colander over a medium bowl to catch all the juice. Shake the colander to get as much liquid as possible. Return the juices to the skillet, and simmer over medium heat until thickened and lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes.

6. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the reduced juice and spices. Set aside to cool completely. (This filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated or frozen for up to 6 months.)

7. Cut the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half of dough into a disc about 11 to 12 inches wide.

8. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

9. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan with one of the discs of dough, and trim it so it lays about 1/2 inch beyond the edge of the pan. "dock" the pie crust by taking a fork and piercing some holes in the bottom of the dough. This way the dough won't puff up while cooking.

10. Put the apple filling in the pan and mound it slightly in the center. Take the second disc of dough and cut into 1/2-1 inch thick strips. Place them one way across the dough then lay them the other way. Make sure to weave the layers together like a plaid pattern. Brush the surface of the dough with egg wherever the strips touch the outer edge of the pie pan. Flute the edge with a fork. Brush the surface of the dough with egg and then sprinkle with sugar. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

11. Bake the pie on a baking sheet until the crust is golden, about 50 minutes. Cool on a rack before serving. The pie keeps well at room temperature (covered) for 24 hours, or refrigerated for up to 4 days.