Apple picking is easily the best part of fall. This past weekend, my friend Haewon and I headed off to a local Ithacan orchard, and literally frolicked through the fields. The act of picking apples was just as fun as eating the pounds of it that we brought home. Apple picking was concluded with some hot apple cider doughnuts (YUMM), and then it was time to get creative in the kitchen. After our successful day of apple picking, Haewon and I gathered our bright red apples, cinnamon and spice, and set off to bake a mouth-watering pie of heaven.
When it came to the orchards, you'd always find me near the apple trees.
And here's the final product! Photo Creds to Haewon
The wonderful Haewon Hwang
And well.. that's me. You wouldn't believe how wonderful the house smelled while the pie was baking. Out. Of. This. World.
Click to View Video
Yield: 1 pie
Ingredients:
1 sheet refrigerated pie crust (I used Pillsbury)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
4-5 apples of your choice (I used Cameo and Fuji)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup packed brown sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for dusting
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
1/2 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
Directions:
- Dice the apples.
- In a small bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Toss to coat and set aside.
- Butter/Oil a 9-in. pie plate and line the bottom with the pie crust
- Preheat the oven to 375F
- Melt butter in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat.
- Add the apple mixture to the pan and stir to coat fruit with butter and cook, stirring occasionally.
- Once the apples begin to soften, after 3-5 minutes, sprinkle the cinnamon and nutmeg, and cook another 5 minutes.
- Fill with pie crust rimmed pan with the apple mixture and the juices that were released during cooking.
- Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 7 even strips about 1/2-in to 3/4-in. wide
- For a lattice design, lay out 5 parallel strips of the puff pastry dough on top of the filling, with 1/2-in to 3/4-inch space between them. Fold back every other strip.
- Place one long strip of dough perpendicular to the parallel strips. Unfold the folded strips over the perpendicular strip.
- Now take the parallel strips that are underneath the perpendicular strip and fold them back over the perpendicular strip. Lay a second perpendicular strip of dough next to the first strip. Unfold the folded parallel strips over the second strip. Continue this process until the weave is complete. (for a video tutorial, click here)
- Press the edges together, trim the excess.
- Lightly brush the top of the pie with egg wash and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar.
- Place pie in oven and bake for 45-55 minutes. Continue to cook until the interior is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.
- Slice and serve warm (and with ice cream). Enjoy!
Haewon Hwang is a student at Cornell University, and freelance works in photography, web design, and brand identity. Her portfolio can be viewed here: http://www.haewonhwang.me