Mastering the Basics: Mouthwatering Apple Pie

Just like keeping a closet stocked with a few wardrobe essentials, there are certain dishes everyone should know how to cook. A flavorful, grilled chicken breast that’s juicy, not rubbery; a creamy, buttery mound of mashed potatoes; a crisp, garden salad that doesn’t come from a bag — basically, any simple dish that can delight tastebuds on its own and be used in a variety of meals.

In fact, this list could be heavily debated — and I welcome such a debate (or friendly suggestions) — but in the All-American dessert category, one sweet leaps to mind: Apple pie. Its cinnamon-laced scent envelops a room, filling the place with a sense of home, even if you’re stuck in a drafty dorm kitchen 1,000 miles from Mom.

For me, it’s a reminder of the holidays, when I’d carefully cut off the lid to a couple cans of Comstock apple pie filling and roll out from standard, freezer-section pre-made dough so my Dad and grandfather could enjoy their slices a la mode while they caught up after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Nothing says love like a largely processed, barely homemade dessert, right?

This year, however, I decided my dad deserved more than that, so I tested out a few recipes, made some minor modifications, and came up with the best-tasting apple pie recipe possible. It’s completely from scratch, but there’s no need to feel daunted — it’s easier than you think, and more delicious than you can imagine (no lie!).

NOTE: This recipe is adapted from Food Network Magazine‘s Classic Apple Pie from the November 2010 issue.

Kitchen gadgets needed: large mixing bowl, small bowl, plastic wrap, cutting board, knife, measuring cups, spoonula, 9″x9″ baking pan or 8″-9″ pie plate, oven, oven mitts

Ingredients (makes 8-9 slices, depending on your level of self-control):

Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, chopped thinly
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

• 8-9 apples (a mix of sweet/tart keeps things interesting, like Gala & Granny Smith)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon flour (to thicken the juices)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons butter
• A light sprinkling of nutmeg

Time commitment: 1 and a 1/2 to 2 hours

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. As it gets toasty, peel and core all of the apples. Then cut them into 8-10 wedges (or use a handy apple slicer to speed things up).

2. The filling goes first: Place the apple slices in a bowl with 2/3 cup of sugar and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Then, melt four tablespoons of butter on the stovetop (turn it to high) before pouring in the apple mixture.

3. Stir the apples occasionally until the apples start getting tender, which is roughly 7-9 minutes. Add in the tablespoon of flour, teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle of nutmeg, mixing it all together for about a minute or so. Once the juices have thickened, you can turn off the burner and set the filling aside.

4. Dough time: Stir the flour, sugar and salt until they’re thoroughly combined. Then, use your fingers to smoosh the butter in with the flour mixture, creating a gritty sort of dough.

5. Grab a small bowl and crack an egg into it. Remove the chalaza (those two stringy, white parts attached to the yoke), and beat the egg with a tablespoon of water so it’s a thin, yellow goo. Pour about two tablespoons of the goo into a small cup — that will be used to glaze the top of the pie. Add the rest of it to the dough, mixing only enough so that everything’s combined, creating a smooth, almost glossy dough.

6. Pat the dough into two disks, cover each in plastic wrap and let them refrigerate for an hour (or longer, if you so desire). Once they’re firm, roll out each disk so they cover the pie plate (or baking pan) with about 2 inches to spare on all sides.

7. Using a knife or small cookie cutters, carve a design into one of the sheets of dough. That’s the top layer. Set that aside, and lay the bottom layer  onto the pie plate/pan, letting it cover the sides. Pour in the apple mixture, then add the top piece of dough, crimping the bottom and top layer’s edges together so the filling won’t seep out.

8. Finally, the glaze: If you don’t have a marinade brush, dip the tip of a paper towel into the reserved egg mixture (AKA “goo”) and coat the top of the pie. Then, sprinkle on some sugar and take a few scraps of aluminum foil to cover the crimped edges of the pie so they don’t burn.

9. Pop the whole thing in the oven for 45-50 minutes. Give it some time to cool before digging in so you don’t burn yourself; an hour was good for me.

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