Ina's Deep-Dish Apple Pie
Apple pie has always been a problem for Ina Garten. The apples either come out too hard or taste like applesauce. Some pies are overwhelmed with cinnamon or allspice when she just wants the spices to bring out the “appleness” of the filling. She made pies for a week (her friends were beginning to groan) until she arrived at what she thinks is the quintessential apple pie. Her secrets for the perfect pie crust? First, the butter, shortening and water must all be very cold. Second, you should let the dough sit in the refrigerator (bakers call it “relaxing” the dough) for 30 minutes before rolling. And, finally, don’t stretch the dough when you’re placing it into the pan. Follow these tips and you’ll have delicious, flaky pie crust every time.
Ingredients:
For the pie crust:
- 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) (6 oz./185 g) very cold unsalted butter
- 3 cups (15 oz./470 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 Tbs. sugar
- 1/3 cup (3 oz./90 g) very cold vegetable shortening
- 6 to 8 Tbs. (about 1/2 cup/4 fl. oz./125 ml) ice water
For the apple pie:
- 4 lb. (2 kg) Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered and cored
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbs. fresh orange juice
- 1/2 cup (4 oz./125 g) sugar, plus 1 tsp. to sprinkle on top
- 1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz./45 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. ground allspice
- 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs. water for egg wash
Directions:
To make the pie crust, dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat an oven to 400°F (200°C).
To make the apple pie, cut each apple quarter in thirds crosswise and combine in a bowl with the zests, juices, sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
Cut the pie dough in half. Roll out half the dough on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn’t stick to the board. Drape it over the pie pan to extend about 1/2 inch (12 mm) over the rim. Don’t stretch the dough; if it’s too small, just put it back on the board and re-roll it. Roll out the other half of the dough for the top crust.
Fill the pie with the apple mixture. Brush the edge of the bottom pie crust with the egg wash so the top crust will adhere. Top with the second crust and trim the edges to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) over the rim. Tuck the edge of the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp the two together with your fingers or a fork. Brush the entire top crust with the egg wash, sprinkle with 1 tsp. sugar and cut four or five slits.
Place the pie on a sheet pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the crust is browned and the juices begin to bubble out. Serve warm. Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie.
Note: Ina Garten prefers Crisco shortening. Since she uses it only for pie crusts, she stores it in the refrigerator so it’s always cold.
Reprinted from; Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family. Copyright © 2002 by Ina Garten. Photographs copyright © 2002 Maura McEvoy. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
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