What I'm Cooking: Apple Slab Pie

I hosted a potluck over the weekend and was incredibly pleased with the results, both in attendance and in dishes. I had a number of new people show up, some of whom I've been trying to get to come for almost seven years. That alone would have been enough to make this an excellent party, but I also managed to produce the best pie crust I've ever made, thanks in no small part (I suspect) to my food processor.

The pie crust in question was for an Apple Slab Pie, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen.

Apple Slab Pie

Awesome Crust
3 ¾	cups (470 grams) all-purpose flour
1 ½	tablespoons sugar
1 ½	teaspoons table salt
3	sticks (340 grams) unsalted butter, very cold
¾	cup very cold water
Delicious Filling
4	pounds apples, peeled, cored and chopped into approximately 1/2-inch chunks (about 8 cups)
	Squeeze of lemon juice
¾	cup sugar
3	tablespoons cornstarch
1	teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼	teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼	teaspoon ground allspice
⅛	teaspoon table salt
The Finishing Touch
2	tablespoons heavy cream or one egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

MAKING THE DELICIOUS CRUST:

1. Pulse the flour, sugar and salt a few times in your food processor to mix it together and then add the butter and continue to pulse in short bursts until the butter is reduced to the size of tiny peas.

2. Dump your dough into a large bowl and add the water, gently stirring it in with a rubber spatula until it all sticks together. If it's too dry add more water a tablespoon at a time until it's fixed and then give it a quick knead or three with your hands. Don't go crazy as we want to butter to soften.

3. Divide the dough in half and wrap each in plastic wrap and toss it in the fridge for at least and hour (and up to two days).

4. When you're ready to make the pie, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line the bottom of a 10x15x1-inch baking sheet or jellyroll pan with parchment paper.

(I didn't actually have a 10x15x1-inch anything, so I ended up using a 9x13 casserole dish sprayed liberally with cooking spray, which is why my finished product looked nothing like the original.)

MAKING THE FILLING:

5. In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice until coated. Toss in the remaining ingredients and stir to coat.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

6. Tear of a big piece of parchment paper and sprinkle it liberally with flour. Take out one of your dough halves and use a rolling pin (also covered with flour) to roll it out into a large rectangle, bigger than the dish you'll be baking it in. Once done, slowly peel the dough off the paper and transfer it to the sheet/pan/dish.

7. Dump in your delicious filling and level it out.

8. Repeat step 6 and place on top of the pie, trimming off the edges and cutting slits into the top for venting steam.

9. Finally, brush the top with your egg mixture and throw that sucker in the oven for 40-45 minutes. Once done, place on a wire rack to cool for about 45 minutes before digging in.



As you can see from the above pictures my pie (on right) ended up nothing like the one Smitten Kitchen made. This was because I used a different dish and also cut my apples much to large. Whereas the originals could be picked up and eaten like brownies, mine required a fork like a normal pie.

That said, it was still delicious and the pie crust was AMAZING. When I was rolling it out I could still see the chunks of butter in the dough, which is why it turned out so chewy and flaky (can something be both?). I suspect this was because the food processor drastically cut down on the time it took to reduce the butter to pea-size, giving it less time to soften and melt into the dough.

This is going on my short list to make in the near future, just as soon as I can get my hands on a 10x15x1-inch baking sheet.