Sunnyside Cooks!
I’m dreaming I have my apron on and I’ve just finished a double pie crust using 100% butter (recipe to follow), and I head out the door to the apple orchard a few minutes walk from my cottage and begin picking apples. I toss 6 apples from several different trees into my apron. I head home to make a pie to share. I also let my mind wander to creating a full cook book from all the people from Sunnyside Village Cohousing who love cooking as much as I do. So, this is the first recipe of my dream for a cookbook. Let me share this with you…….
Ingredients for a double crust:
2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 20 TB unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes, 4-6 TB ice water. In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt, add butter and pulse until mixture forms lima bean size pieces. Slowly add ice water, 1 TB at a time and pulse until dough comes together – moist but not wet. Divide dough into two pieces. Turn a piece of dough onto a lightly floured surface and gather it into a ball. Flatten into a disk with the heel of your hand. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Do same with second piece of dough.
Ingredients for Apple Pie:
2TB unsalted butter, 6 apples (2 different types), peeled, cored, and sliced into wedges, 1/4 tsp all spice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 kosher salt, 3/4 cup plus 1 TB sugar, 2 TB flour, 2 tsp cornstarch, 1 TB apple cider vinegar with 1 egg, slightly beaten. Melt butter in a large saucepan set over medium high heat and add apples to the pan. Stir to coat fruit with butter and cook, stirring on occasion. Meanwhile, whisk together the spices, salt and 3/4 cup of sugar and sprinkle over apples, continue to stir. Lower heat and cook until apples have started to soften 5-7 minutes, sprinkle with flour and cornstarch over the apples and continue to cook, stirring another 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat, add cider vinegar, stir and put fruit mixture into a bowl, allow to cool completely. Preheat oven to 425 and place a large baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven.
Making the Pie:
Remove one disc of dough and using a rolling pin, roll out on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 12 inches in diameter. Fit into a 9″ pie plate, trimming to leave 1/2 ” hangover. Put in freezer. Roll out remaining dough until it is roughly 10 or 11″. Remove pie crust from freezer, put the cooled pie filling into it and cover with the remaining dough. Press the edges together, trim the excess, then crimp the edges using tines of a fork. Using a sharp knife, cut three or four steam vents on the top of the crust, then brush the top of the pie with egg wash, then sprinkle 1 TB of sugar. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes, then reduce oven temp to 375. Cook for about 30 to 40 minutes. If edges get too brown cover with a strip of aluminum foil. Let cool for about two hours.