Pie and Pastry Bible (27 page)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. at least 20 minutes before baking.

Line the pastry with parchment, pleating it as necessary so it fits into the pan, and fill it with rice or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully lift out the rice or beans with the parchment. With a fork, prick the bottom and sides and bake 5 to 10 minutes more or until the crust is pale golden. Check after 3 minutes and prick any bubbles that may have formed.

Cool the crust on a rack for 3 minutes, so it is no longer piping hot, then brush the bottom and sides with the egg white.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and toss to mix. Allow the apples to macerate for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours at room temperature.

Transfer the apples and their juices to a colander suspended over a bowl to capture the liquid. The mixture will exude at least
cup of liquid.

In a small saucepan (preferably lined with a nonstick surface), over medium-high heat, boil down this liquid, with the butter, to
cup (a little more if more than
cup of liquid), or until syrupy and lightly caramelized. Swirl the liquid but do not stir it. (Or spray a 4-cup heatproof measure with nonstick vegetable spray, add the liquid and butter, and boil it in the microwave, about 8 minutes on high.) Meanwhile, transfer the apples to a bowl and toss them with the cornstarch until all traces of it have disappeared.

Pour the hot syrup over the apples, tossing gently. (Do not be concerned if the liquid hardens on contact with the apples; it will dissolve during baking.)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating. Place a large piece of greased foil on top to catch any juices.

Transfer the apple mixture to the pie shell. The apples will mound well above the top of the pie pan but will settle down somewhat during baking. Cut a round of foil to fit over the apples and the edge of the crust and crimp it in 3 or 4 places to create a dome. Cover the top of the pie with the foil and cut 3 steam vents in the foil, about 3 inches long.

Set the pie directly on the foil-topped baking stone and bake for 1 hour. Remove the pie from the oven and remove and discard the foil dome. Lower the oven temperature to 400°F. Sprinkle the top of the apples all over with the streusel, pressing it lightly if necessary for it to adhere to the moist apples. Place a ring of foil over the edges to protect them from overbrowning (see page 19) and return the pie to the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the juices bubble and the apples feel tender but not mushy when a cake tester or small sharp knife is inserted into them and the streusel is golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

STORE

Room temperature, up to 2 days.

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

See Best All-American Apple Pie, page 81.

The apples should still feel a little firm when removed from the oven, as they are such a deep layer they will continue cooking for several minutes.

UNDERSTANDING

A high oven temperature is needed to set the streusel and keep it from being greasy.

Proportionately less than half the thickener is added for this pie as for the double-crust apple pie because the absence of a top crust allows additional liquid to evaporate during the last 15 minutes of cooking. This results in a pure apple flavor.

CRUSTLESS APPLE CRUMB PIE

T
his pie is for those who eat their apples in the form of a crisp, which is a crustless pie with crumb topping. No thickener is used in the filling, because the juices are concentrated and there is no bottom crust to get soggy, so the apples can be more juicy. Also, a little less sugar is added to the filling because without the bottom crust, less sugar provides a better flavor balance. This crumb pie is at its best when served warm, accompanied by caramel or vanilla ice cream (page 243 or page 232).

OVEN TEMPERATURE: 400°F. • BAKING TIME: 50 TO 55 MINUTES SERVES: 6
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
1½ pounds baking apples (see page 635; about 3 large), peeled, cored, and sliced ½ inch thick	4½ to 5 cups (sliced)	20 ounces 567 grams (sliced)
freshly squeezed lemon juice	1½ teaspoons	0.25 ounce	8 grams
light brown sugar	2 tablespoons, packed	1 ounce	27 grams
granulated sugar	2 tablespoons	scant 1 ounce	25 grams
ground cinnamon	¾ teaspoon	•	•
nutmeg, preferably freshly grated	teaspoon	•	•
salt	teaspoon	•	•
unsalted butter	1 tablespoons	0.5 ounce	14 grams
Topping light brown sugar	(1½ cups) 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons, packed	(8.3 ounces) 2 ounces 56 grams	(236 grams) 56 grams
sugar	1 tablespoon	0.5 ounce	12.5 grams
walnut halves	½ cup	1.75 ounces	50 grams
salt	1/16 teaspoon	•	•
ground cinnamon	¾ teaspoon	•	•
bleached all-purpose flour	½ cup (dip and sweep method)	2.5 ounces	72 grams
unsalted butter, melted	¼ cup	2 ounces	57 grams
pure vanilla extract	¾ teaspoon	•	•

EQUIPMENT

A 9-inch pie pan

Preheat the oven to 400°F. at least 20 minutes before baking time. Set an oven rack on the second level from the bottom.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and toss to mix. Allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour.