So I’m plugging away at Cookie Madness, but I couldn’t help but make one last pie in these pre-Thanksgiving days. This one uses heirloom apples called Baldwins that I got at Russell Orchards last weekend. Very nice apples; firm and not too tart. Loving my lattice work too. The rim was a little messy so I used a leaf cookie cutter to pretty it up a little bit.
Ingredients
for the pastry
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, diced
6 tablespoons (or more) ice water
for the filling
3 pounds baking apples (I used heirloom Baldwin apples)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, with a tablespoon of water for egg wash
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening and pulse in until it turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball, then divide and flatten into two disks. Wrap in plastic and chill 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 425F.
Peel, core, and slice the apples into 1/2-inch pieces (or slices, if you like). Place apples into a large bowl and toss with lemon juice to prevent browning. Coat evenly in melted butter. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the spices, brown sugar, flour, and salt. Toss over the apples until they are evenly coated.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first pie dough to a 12-inch circle. Place the first round into a 9-inch pie plate, pressing down into the edges. Place the apples into the pie plate. Roll out the second piece of dough to a rectangle where one edge is at least 11 inches. cut very narrow strips, less than 1/4 wide. Carefully create a lattice as tightly as possible together. Once completely covered, seal the edges by pinching them together and folding them over. If you like, create leaves with a cookie cutter. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with a tablespoon of water. Brush over the pie dough. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired. Chill pie for at least 1/2 hour before baking, particularly if the dough has softened.
Bake pie for 25 minutes before lowering oven temperature to 375F. Bake for an additional 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown. If the edges begin to darken too quickly, cover with aluminum foil to prevent additional browning.
Cool pie for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving.
