Apple Pie American style apple pie, a recipe for success

Total: 2 h Diners: 8

How many of us have grown up in Spain watching on TV a cake resting on a windowsill? There, lonely, waiting to be devoured by Garfield or Yogi Bear at any moment. This comforting coolness that still accompanies us is perfect to continue enjoying the best dishes of the season and also to turn on the oven with desserts like this apple pie in the purest American style.

Stews and stews, stews or stews, intense spoon dishes that comfort the soul and spirit, are at the end of the meal with desserts like this pie that takes advantage of the best apples of the season. If quarantine taught us anything, it is that we all have a master pastry chef who comes to the fore when the time is right. And that moment is now, when we still see summer far away and we can enjoy without any remorse, although you know that everything, with moderation, is admitted in a healthy diet.

To get out of the cake routine, which spread over the past year by the ease of its preparation (although it has more substance than you think), I have chosen a recipe that surely many times has haunted us in the head how to prepare it. The American-style apple pie, which distances us from the mythical tarte Tatin, is juicy inside, has that characteristic cinnamon point and can not miss the homemade shortcrust pastry base nor its lattice.

Apple pies there are many, such as an apple and persimmon, an easy apple pie with whipped cream or apple pie with puff pastry. While here in Spain it is usually a more classic recipe with a puff pastry dough filled with pastry cream, sliced apple and apricot jam; in the United States it is just as it is painted in the movies that we have seen so much: a shortcrust pastry covering, in the form of a grid, a mixture of sweetened apple. It is an easy recipe, although somewhat laborious. But, undoubtedly, the essential thing is to make the homemade dough. It is very easy to make and the result is tremendously satisfying.

As for the type of apple to use, the most recommended is Royal Gala, Pink Lady, Granny Smith or reineta in season, but, really, you can use any. To each person’s taste. Of course, when letting this apple pie rest (which must cool completely before being unmolded) it is very important to make sure that there is no hungry cat or any other recognizable character from American Pie. If you want to give it a bigger kick when it is served I recommend giving it a little heat in the microwave, add a few drops of toffee and also a scoop of good vanilla ice cream.

How to make an apple pie

Ingredients

For the filling

Royal Gala apples, 1 kg Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp Ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp Sugar, 200 g Water, 60 ml Butter, 100 g

For the dough

Flour, 310 g Cold butter, 220 g Cold water, 7 tablespoons Sugar, 3 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon

Step 1

The first thing to do is the dough so it can chill. The ideal is to do it a day before, but you can do it the same day and keep it in the freezer so that it has time to cool well (always checking that it is not going to freeze). To make the dough, mix the flour, salt and sugar very well. Add the very cold butter, little by little in small squares, and knead and integrate until you get a kind of crumbs. Then add the water and form a ball with your hands (do not knead because you do not want the gluten to develop). Also, separate this ball into two (one slightly larger than the other), wrap in plastic wrap and chill 2 h in the refrigerator or 30 min in freezer and 30 min in refrigerator.

Step 2

Place a saucepan on the heat. Add 100 g of butter and wait for it to melt. When it has melted, add 3 tablespoons of flour and stir everything well until it has cooked. Add the white sugar and continue cooking for 5 minutes until it has a syrup-like texture. If it is too thick, add a little water, little by little and stirring constantly with the whisk, until it has the desired consistency. Set aside.

Step 3

step 3

Peel all the apples. Core them and remove the core and the tougher parts around the edges. Cut in half and then into thin slices.

Step 4

Mix the apples with the cream made in a bowl and set aside.

Step 5

Remove the two balls of dough from the fridge and roll out on a well-floured greaseproof paper. The dough should be thin, but not too thin. Roll the larger dough on the well-floured rolling pin so that it does not stick and carefully place it on the mold. Shape and make sure the dough completely covers the entire base.

Step 6

Incorporate the apple mixture into the pan with the dough.

Step 7

The smaller ball we had rolled out should be cut into narrow strips about 1 cm thick. Place and alternate on the surface of the cake forming a kind of grid as shown in the photos. Finish shaping the edges of the cake by tucking them in.

Step 8

step 8

Paint with egg and bake for 15 minutes at 220 ºC. Lower the temperature to 180 ºC and bake 45 minutes more. Allow to cool and set aside to firm up before unmolding.