Thanksgiving is the most American of American holidays. Established by President Lincoln in 1863 as a day for all Americans, both here and abroad, to come together and give thanks.
While Pumpkin Pie seems ubiquitous with the holiday, Apple Pie holds its own revered place as an icon of Americana. Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet, as the old commercial jingle used to go.
Since we have already covered Pumpkin Pie this month, Apple Pie now gets its turn. This is the second pie in our three part Thanksgiving pie series.
As I've mentioned before, and undoubtedly will continue mentioning for the foreseeable future, I'm not a baker. I'm a cook. A former line cook, kitchen manager, and chef. I turn to others for baking expertise. Today we turn to Martha Stewart for this apple pie recipe. Martha Stewart is also a revered slice of Americana.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
¾ cup sugar, plus additional for pie top
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg, beaten
Directions
Preheat oven and roll dough:
Heat oven to 375°F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out pâte brisée into two 1/8-inch-thick circles to a diameter slightly larger than that of an 11-inch plate.
Fit dough into pie plate:
Press one pastry circle into the pie plate.
Place the other circle on waxed paper, and cover with plastic wrap.
Chill all pastry until firm, about 30 minutes.
Make filling:
In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour.
Toss well.
Spoon apples into pie pan.
Dot with butter.
Cover pie with remaining pastry circle to create top crust.
Cut several steam vents across top.
Seal by crimping edges as desired.
Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar.
Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour.
Let cool completely on wire rack before serving.
** It's perfectly okay to use frozen our store bought pie crust. There is plenty else to do for this holiday meal. If you're a pie crust rookie there is no need to tackle this now.
** Store any leftover apple pie, lightly covered, at room temperature for one to two days. After that, transfer the pie to the fridge for one to two more days if needed.
** Note that the longer the pie sits, the more moisture the crust absorbs and the drier the edges become.
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