Recipe(tried): Classic Apple Pie, and Cook's Illustrated Foolproof Pie Dough

I loved making and using the Cook's Illustrated Foolproof Pie Dough. After seeing Janet, MO rave about it here at recipelink, I decided to try it instead of the recipe that I had used for years. Add my raves to Janet's! The dough was very easy to work with, and didn't tear at all. On top of that, it produced a wonderfully flaky, crispy pie crust. I loved working with it, and my family and I loved eating it. This filling, like the pumpkin pie filling that I just posted is from Fine Cooking. It was really terrific, but, I will say that I really don't know that it was any better than my usual apple filling recipe but it seemed like it. That may be attributed to the fact that I was able to find, and use Northern Spy apples - the apples my mother always swore by for making the best apple pies. At any rate, if you can find Northern Spies, grab a bag of them and run! And, do try the Cook's Illustrated Foolproof Pie Dough.

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FOOLPROOF PIE DOUGH
Source: Cook's Illustrated
Makes enough for one 9-inch double-crust pie; can be halved for single-crust.

"Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor - do not substitute. This dough will be moister and more supple than most standard pie doughs and will require more flour to roll out (up to 1/4 cup)."

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4- inch slices and chilled
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cut into pieces and chilled
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup cold water

Pulse 1 1/2 cups of the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add the butter and shortening, and process until a homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds. (The dough will resemble cottage cheese curds, and there should be no uncoated flour.)

Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and redistribute the dough evenly around the processor blade. Add the remaining 1 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and the mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into a medium bowl.

Sprinkle the vodka and water over the mixture. With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix, pressing down on the dough until the dough is slightly tacky and sticks together.

Divide the dough into two even balls and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

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CLASSIC APPLE PIE
Source: Fine Cooking Magazine
Makes one 9-inch double-crust pie, 8-10 servings

"For best results, bake this pie at least a few hours before you plan to cut into it; otherwise, the filling may be soupy. With time, the fruit reabsorbs the juices, and the pie will cut like a charm. A pastry cloth and a rolling pin stocking, or sleeve, are simple tools that make it easier to roll out the dough."

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 lb. Cortland apples (about 4 medium)
1 lb. Granny Smith apples (about 2-1/2 medium)
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon; more to taste
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 large egg white
2 tsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus 1 Tbs. cold unsalted butter cut into small (1/4-inch) cubes
4 to 6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Position two oven racks in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

MAKE FILLING:
Peel the apples, cut each in half from top to bottom, remove the cores with a melon baller, and trim the ends with a paring knife. Lay the apples, cut side down, on a cutting board. Cut the Cortland apples crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces, and then halve each piece diagonally. Cut the Granny Smith apples crosswise into 1/4-inch slices, leaving them whole. Put the apples in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice.

Combine the brown sugar, 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, kosher salt, and nutmeg in a small bowl. (Don t add this to the fruit yet.)

In a small dish, lightly beat the egg white with 1 teaspoon water. Set aside.

ASSEMBLE PIE:
Butter a 9-inch ovenproof glass (Pyrex) pie plate, including the rim, with the 2 tsp. of softened butter.

Brush the bottom and sides of the dough with a light coating of the egg-white wash (you won t need all of it). Leaving a 1/4-inch overhang, cut around the edge of the dough with kitchen shears.

Rub 2 to 3 Tbsp. of flour into the surface of a pastry cloth, forming a circle about 15 inches across, and also into a rolling pin stocking. If you don t have a pastry cloth, rub the flour into a large, smooth-weave, cotton kitchen towel and use a floured rolling pin. Roll one of the disks of dough into a circle that s 1/8 inch thick and about 15 inches across.

Lay the rolling pin across the upper third of the dough circle; lift the pastry cloth to gently drape the dough over the pin and then roll the pin toward you, wrapping the remaining dough loosely around it. Hold the rolling pin over the near edge of the pie plate. Allowing for about a 1-inch overhang, unroll the dough away from you, easing it into the contours of the pan. If the dough isn t centered in the pan, gently adjust it and then lightly press it into the pan.

Leaving a 1/4-inch overhang, cut around the edge of the dough with kitchen shears.

Brush the bottom and sides of the dough with a light coating of the egg-white wash (you won t need all of it).

Combine the sugar mixture with the apples and toss to coat well. Mound the apples in the pie plate, rearranging the fruit as needed to make the pile compact. Dot the apples with the 1 Tbsp. cold butter cubes.

Rub another 2 to 3 Tbsp. flour into the surface of the pastry cloth and stocking. Roll the remaining dough into a circle that s 1/8-inch thick and about 15-inches across.

Use the rolling pin to move the dough. As you unroll the dough, center it on top of the apples. Place your hands on either side of the top crust of the pie and ease the dough toward the center, giving the dough plenty of slack.

Leaving a 3/4-inch overhang, trim the top layer of dough around the rim of the pie plate.

Fold the top layer of dough under the bottom layer, tucking the two layers of dough together. Press a lightly floured fork around the edge of the dough to seal it, or flute the edge of the dough with lightly floured fingers.

Lightly brush the top with cold water and sprinkle the surface with the remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar. Make steam vents in the dough by poking the tip of a paring knife through it in a few places; it s important to vent well so that the steam from the cooking apples won t build up and crack the top of the crust.

BAKE PIE:
Cover the rim of the pie with aluminum foil bands. This will prevent the edge of the crust from overbrowning.

Place a rimmed baking sheet or an aluminum foil drip pan on the oven rack below the pie to catch any juices that overflow during baking. Set the pie on the rack above.

Bake until the top and bottom crusts are golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 60 to 75 minutes; to thicken, the juices must boil, so look for the bubbles through the steam vents or through cracks near the edges of the pie and listen for the sound of bubbling juices.

During the last 5 minutes of baking, remove the foil bands from the edges of the pie. Cool the pie at least 3 hours and up to overnight before serving.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS:
The pie will keep at room temperature for up to 1 day. For longer storage, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 5 days; reheat before serving in a 325 degree F oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes.