A Month of Pie: Freeform Apple Pie

My husband had a brilliant idea for my blog. A different pie recipe for every day of November leading up to Thanksgiving. I am pretty sure he just wanted some pie. And baby, you’re gonna get it. Probably more than you will ever want. I decided to take on the challenge. However, it’s not realistic for me to make a pie everyday. So, I am going to alter the challenge and aim for three pie’s a week. I originally was going to try to make one for everyday, but then I realized that I can’t afford it. Try cooking on a tight budget when you have to buy graham cracker crumbs, fruit out of season, and whipping cream out the wazoo. It adds up people.  You can still expect a lot of pie ideas in preparation for Thanksgiving. And if you want some pie, come to my house. I’ll have plenty of leftovers.

If I’m gonna do this pie thing, I need to set some ground rules. 1.) Don’t expect to see a crust made with lard or shortening. Both substances creep me out. I just can’t do it. I know lots of people say they are the secret to a flaky crust, but you can’t make do it. You can’t. Butter is my medium of choice here. 2.) You will see a couple traditional  thanksgiving pies (apple pie, pumpkin pie, etc.), but I’m going to try to step outside the box a little bit with some fun flavors and crusts. I am going to try new recipes and experiment. I may not make a pie the way your grandma does, but just remember the name of the blog Edible “Experiments”. This is me having fun and testing new things out.  I have a  pretty big list of ideas, but if you have a special request, please make a comment! Unless it’s cherry, pecan, or rhubard, I’d love to give it a try. 3.)  I will taste every pie, but most of them will be donated to neighbors, friends, co-workers. I am pregnant, but that is no excuse to eat a pie a day. I hope you enjoy!!!

The recipe for today is a traditional apple pie filling housed within a freeform crust. This dough is not quite as flaky as a normal pie because it has to be stiff enough to hold up on its own without the support of a pie tin. I also made this crust with half white flour, half whole wheat. I wouldn’t say it is faster or easier than a regular apple pie, but it is beautiful it a rustic sort of way. It is also a lot smaller than a regular sized pie, which is great if there are just two of you or if you have a new pie added to your fridge every day.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 2 TBSP. sour cream
• 2-4 TBSP. ice water
• 1 C. all purpose flour
• 1/2 C. whole wheat flour
• 1 TBSP. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 C. butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces and kept very cold

Filling:

• 1/2 C. plus 1 TBSP. sugar
• 1 TBSP. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 2 McIntosh apples (or any variety of baking apples)
• 3 TBSP. apple jelly (optional)
• sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. For the dough: Stir the sour cream and 2 TBSP. of the water together in a small bowl and set aside in the fridge.

2. In a large bowl, mix together both flours, sugar, and salt until combined. Cut the butter up into small pieces. Make sure the butter is cold. If you cut up the butter ahead of time, stick it back into the fridge or freezer. Scatter the little butter pieces over the flour and use a pastry cutter to combine the butter and flour. The mixture should still have little bits of butter and resemble a course meal.

3. Add the sour cream and water mixture and continue to use the pastry cutter to combine until it starts to come together. At this point, I just use my hands to mush everything together. Add the rest of the water if needed. If it is still not coming together add a little more water, a couple drops at a time, until a nice smooth dough comes together. Roll the dough into a ball and wrap in wrap and refrigerate while you make the filling, or as long as you need.

4. Make the filling by peeling, coring, and thinly slicing the apples. I used my handy, dandy apple coring and peeling gadget.You know, the old fashioned kind that hooks to the table and you rotate a handle to push the apple through the slicer, peeler, and corer. It’s super nice and fast, but you can do just as well if all you have is a knife.

5. Combine the sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a bowl with the sliced apples. Shake so all the apples are coated.

6.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out into a circle, about 12 inches. I like to put the dough between two sheets of parchment paper while I roll it out. Place on a lined baking sheet.

7. Place the apples inside the dough, stacking slices on top of each other, making a sort of circular apple wall. Leave a 2-inch border of dough the edge. Fold the dough up around the fruit, being sure to leave a little pocket of space between the edge of the dough and the fruit. Pinch the dough to pleat every 2 to 3 inches, or as needed.

8. Brush the crust with a little bit of water and sprinkle with a little bit of sugar. Bake for about an hour, rotating pan half way through. Melt the apple jelly in a little bowl in the microwave and brush on exposed apples while cooling. If you don’t have apple jelly, stick the brush down in between the crust and the apples to get a little bit of juice and brush that over the apples.

9. Let cool for about 20 minutes so the juice can thicken. Slice and serve with a big blob of whipped cream of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cook Book.