MILE-HIGH APPLE PIE
"No dessert quite says "all-American" like a golden brown, perfectly flaky, double-crust apple pie. In fact, even though I enjoy all kinds of desserts, I think I prefer a slice of a delicious pie over anything else. I not only love eating pies, I also love making the crusts, the fillings, and the toppings and baking them to perfection. And more than any other recipe, I love to prepare this one. It has almost twice as many apples as most pie recipes, and its sheer height makes it one of the most impressive things you can prepare in a home kitchen and bring to the table. I can't think of a better way to end a Thanksgiving meal - or any other celebratory occasion."
"A combination of apples produces a pie with the best flavor; some of my favorite varieties are Empire, Granny Smith, Cortland, and Macoun. This pie is best eaten (with a scoop of vanilla ice cream) the day after baking it, when the juices have had time to thicken properly."
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 recipe Basic Pie Dough (recipe follows)
5 1/2 pounds firm tart apples (about 16), such as Empire or Granny Smith
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons water
Sanding or granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
TO PREPARE THE PIE CRUST:
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out smaller of the two large disks of pie dough (for the bottom crust) into a 12-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick, dusting surface with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Brush off excess flour. Fit dough into a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate. Trim to a 1/4-inch overhang; reserve trimmings. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, roll out largest disk of dough (for the top crust) into a 14-inch round. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
TO PREPARE THE FILLING:
Peel and core apples and cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Place in a large bowl; sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
In a small bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, and cinnamon; add to apple slices and toss to coat.
TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE:
Remove dough from refrigerator; place apple mixture in pie shell, mounding it into a tall pile. Dot filling with butter pieces. Whisk egg yolk with the water; using a pastry brush, lightly coat edge of dough with egg wash. Center and place other dough round over the apples; trim off edge of dough, if necessary. Tuck edge of top dough between bottom dough and rim of pan. Using your fingers, gently press both layers of dough along the edge to seal, and crimp as desired.
Using a paring knife, cut several steam vents in top of dough. Lightly brush surface with egg wash; sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Bake on a baking sheet 10 minutes (crust will begin to turn golden). Reduce oven to 350 degrees F, rotate pie, and continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 1/4 hours (tent with foil if crust is turning too dark). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving, with ice cream if desired.
BASIC PIE DOUGH
Makes enough for one double-crust or two single-crust 9-inch pies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
Pulse together flour, salt, and sugar in a food processort o combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. Evenly drizzle 1/4 cup ice water over mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together (it should not be wet or sticky). If dough is too dry, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse to combine.
Divide dough in half. Wrap each in plastic; shape into disks. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or up to overnight. (Dough can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw overnight in refrigerator before using.)
Makes one double-crust 9-inch pie
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: Martha's American Food by Martha Stewart, Photograph by Romulo Yanes
