Recipe: Deep-Dish Apple Pie and Mille-High Apple Pie (3)

Hi Cher, I think the first recipe will give you the crust recipe you're looking for. Emeril's technique for precooking the apples will give you less shrinkage when baking and help with that high dome you're looking for. Happy Baking!

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MILE-HIGH APPLE PIE (MARTHA STEWART)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
Deep-Dish Pate Brisee (recipe follows)
5 1/2 pounds firm tart apples (about 14), such as Empire or Granny Smith
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the smaller piece of pate bris e into a 15-inch round about 1/8-inch thick, dusting surface with flour to prevent sticking, as needed. Brush off excess flour. Roll dough around rolling pin, and place over a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate. Line plate with dough, pressing it into the corners. Trim dough to within 1 inch of the pie plate. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate.

Roll out remaining piece of dough into an 18-inch round. Transfer round to a baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Peel and core apples, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Places slices in a large bowl; sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent discoloration. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon; toss with apple slices.

Remove remaining dough from refrigerator; place apple mixture into prepared pie plate, mounding it in a tall pile. Dot filling with butter. Place dough round over the apples. Tuck edge of top dough between edge of bottom dough and rim of pan. Using your fingers, gently press both layers of dough along the edge to seal, and crimp as desired.

Using a paring knife, cut several vents in top of dough to allow steam to escape. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk with 2 tablespoons water to make a glaze. Brush surface with egg glaze; sprinkle with sugar. Place on a baking sheet, this will catch any juices that may overflow during baking. Bake until crust is golden, about 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool completely before serving.

DEEP DISH PATE BRISEE
Makes enough for one double-crust deep-dish 9-inch pie

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 to 3/4 cup ice water

Place flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; process until combined. Add the butter pieces; process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds.

Add the ice water in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube with the machine running, just until dough holds together. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing dough; if it is still crumbly, add a bit more water.

Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Divide the dough in two pieces with one piece slightly larger than the other. Grasping the ends of the plastic wrap with your hands, press dough into a flat circle with your fists. This makes rolling easier than if the pastry is chilled as a ball. Wrap the dough in the plastic and chill for at least an hour.

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DEEP-DISH APPLE PIE RECIPE (EMERIL LAGASSE)

3 tablespoons butter
2 pounds Granny Smith Apples, sliced
2 pounds McIntosh Apples, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons flour
Pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup pecan pieces
1 recipe pie dough, recipe follows
4 ounces Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
8 scoops of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter. Add the apples and saute for 2 minutes. Add the sugars, lemon juice and flour. Continue to saute for 2 minutes. Season the apples with nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Mix thoroughly and remove from the heat. Mix in the pecans. Cool the mixture.

Cut the dough into 2 halves. Lightly dust a rolling surface with flour. Roll out each half of dough to 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch thick. Fold one circle of dough in fourths. Carefully lift the dough and place in a 10-inch deep-dish pie pan. Unfold the pie dough and spoon the apples into the pie shell. Place the second round of dough over the apples. Using a sharp knife cut away the excess dough. Using your fingers, crimp the edges of the pie firmly to seal the dough completely. With the same sharp knife, make three slits, about 4 inches long and 2 inches apart, across the pie dough.

Place the pie in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Return the pie to the oven and continue to cook for 8 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

FOR THE PIE DOUGH:
2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the shortening and work it in with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and work it in with your hands. Add only as much as you need for a smooth ball of dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

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MILE-HIGH APPLE PIE (OPRAH MAGAZINE)

FOR THE CRUST:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup finely ground blanched almonds or almond flour
16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. brown sugar
3 to 6 Tbsp. nonfat milk, very cold
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 large egg yolk
FOR THE FILLING:
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
4 pounds mixed apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/3-inch slices
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

TO MAKE CRUST:
In a food processor, combine flour, almonds, butter, salt and brown sugar. Pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture solidifies into a ball. Remove dough from machine and shape into 2 discs; one disc should be about 1/3 larger (for the top crust). Wrap both in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place dough on a floured board and allow dough to stand, unwrapped, until just pliable, about 10 minutes. With a floured rolling pin, roll out the smaller disc into a 13-inch circle. Move dough a quarter turn with every roll, making sure it is not sticking to the board underneath. The dough should be 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Line a 9-inch pie dish with dough. Lightly dust board with more flour and roll out larger disc into a 15-inch circle; set aside.

TO MAKE FILLING:
In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Add apples and lemon juice; gently toss to combine. Place filling in crust-lined pie dish and dot with butter. Cover with large dough circle and cut a large X into the top; gently pull back the corners of X to allow steam to escape.

In a small bowl, combine heavy cream and egg yolk; brush crust with mixture. Place pie on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F and continue baking until filling bubbles in the center and crust turns golden brown, about 1 hour. (Tenting with foil for the last 45 to 50 minutes may be necessary to prevent overbrowning.) Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour; serve with vanilla ice cream.

Servings: 6-8
Created by Rori Trovato
From Great Food in the October 2005 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine