Saucy Spiced Apple Pie Recipes

Steps:

• For crust:
• Combine flour, sugar, salt and mace in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in chilled butter and vegetable shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually blend in enough water by tablespoonfuls to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Flatten each into disk. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften dough slightly at room temperature before rolling.)
• For filling:
• Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400°F. In large bowl, toss apples with 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon peel, mace, cloves and allspice.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch-diameter round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter deep dish glass pie plate. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Brush edge of crust lightly with water. Transfer apple mixture to crust, mounding in center. Roll out second dough disk to 12-inch-diameter round. Place atop apples. Trim dough overhang to 1 inch: reserve scraps. Fold top crust edge under bottom crust edge, pressing to seal. Crimp edge decoratively.
• Reroll pastry scraps and cut out leaf shapes. Brush 1 side of each leaf with milk and arrange, milk side down, decoratively atop crust. Cut several slits in crust to allow steam to escape. Brush crust with milk; sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.
• Place pie on baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden brown and juices bubble, covering crust edges with aluminum foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a small bowl, combine sugars, flour and spices; set aside. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat. , On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim even with rim. Add filling; dot with butter. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Beat egg white until foamy; brush over crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Cover edge loosely with foil. , Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil; bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 20-25 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Combine sugar, flour, butter, lemon zest, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg in a food processor.
• Process until well blended.
• Spread one-third of the sugar mixture over an unbaked pie crust.
• Arrange apple slices, in an overlapping pattern, on top of the sugar mixture.
• Top with the remaining sugar mixture.
• Bake on 400 degrees for 45-55 minutes, until crust is lightly browned.
• Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Arrange pecans, with rounded sides facing down, on the bottom of a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate; drizzle with butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar; press lightly., Roll out dough to fit the pie plate; place over brown sugar. Press the crust firmly against brown sugar and sides of pie plate. Trim edges., In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, pie spice and nutmeg. Add the apples, lemon juice and vanilla; toss to coat. Fill crust. Roll out remaining dough to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in crust., Place a foil-lined baking sheet on a rack below the pie to catch any spills. Bake pie at 450° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°. Bake until top is golden brown and apples are tender, 40-45 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm., PASTRY FOR DOUBLE CRUST PIE, Combine 21/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 tsp salt; cut in 1 cup cold butter until crumbly. Gradually add 1/3=2/3 cup ice water, tossing with a fork until the dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the shortening and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add the butter and pulse until it is in pea-size pieces. Add the bourbon and pulse until just incorporated. Pulse in the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together when pinched. Turn out the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and gather together, using the plastic wrap to help you. Divide into 2 pieces and gently pat each into a disk; wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
• Make the filling: Peel the apples and slice about ¼ inch thick. Toss with the lemon juice and ¼ cup bourbon. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the apples and sprinkle with half of the granulated sugar. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the apples soften, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add 2 more tablespoons butter to the skillet and repeat with the remaining apples and sugar. Add to the bowl and toss with the cinnamon and ginger. Let cool completely.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out the remaining disk of dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Spoon the apple filling into the prepared pie crust. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon bourbon and dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Lay the dough round over the filling. Pinch the overhanging dough together and fold under itself; crimp the edge with your fingers. Cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush the crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Put a baking sheet on the lowest oven rack; preheat to 400 degrees F. Bake the pie on the hot baking sheet until the crust is golden, 60 to 70 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool at least 2 hours.

Steps:

• Cut the chilled butter into chunks, each about the size of a sugar cube.
• Sift the flour into a bowl then add the sugar , cinnamon and the salt if you are using it. Add the butter chunks evenly over the surface of the flour.
• Using your thumb and forefingers, rub the butter into the flour (this is easier with smaller chunks of butter). Continue until the butter is all incorporated. The mix should resemble biscuit/bread crumbs when it is ready.
• Add the water a little at a time, mixing thoroughly with a good sized spoon. When the mix reaches a smooth (and slightly sticky) consistency (which should look like cookie-dough), shape it into a ball and wrap it in cling film. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
• When the dough is nearly chilled, start making the filling. Peel, de-core and cut the apples into orange-segment-sized wedges. Place them in cold water if you are leaving them for any length of time to prevent them from browning.
• Mix the water, muscavado and light-brown sugars, cinnamon, lemon juice (and nutmeg & cloves if being used) in a jug/bowl.
• Melt the butter on a medium-high heat in a deep pan. Put the apples in and stir gently for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the liquid mix to the pan, keeping the heat at medium-high. Keep gently folding the mixture for 5 minutes until the apples begin to look mushy/fluffy (as boiled and shaken potatoes do). The apples will break up to some degree during this process - this is perfectly fine. The apples should all be darkened in colour if you've done this bit right. Leave the filling to cool in the air for about 10 minutes. During this time the fruit will begin to congeal a little more.
• Take the dough from the fridge. Divide it into two balls and roll each one out into a disc, each slightly larger than the top of an 8" diameter pie dish (by about 1" all round). Use a lightly floured surface to prevent sticking; rubbing flour onto the rolling pin will also help. By rolling one way then the other, you can easily achieve a neat circle. I prefer to use my hands to shape and flatten the dough however.
• Rub butter onto the pie dish (including the up-facing lip/edge of the dish). Place the first dough-disc squarely into the dish - make sure it sits flat against the walls of the dish and that it covers the lip of the dish, with a little extra (which you will trim in a minute).
• It is time to add the filling now - but make sure you drain it well! Either sieve off the liquid or use a slotted spoon to remove as much liquid as possible - if the filling is too wet the pasty will not cook properly. You can keep the liquid to drink, warmed, as a delicious punch, or even use as a sauce if you don't like creamy/custard like sauces on your pie. If you refrigerate it this sauce will thicken up a bit.
• Next whisk up the egg and 2 tablespoons of water. Paint the mixture onto the lip of the pastry (using a pastry brush or your fingertips). This will glue the two halves together.
• Now place your other pastry disc on top of the pie. Using a sharp knife, cut down through the top of the pastry to remove the excess. Use the edge of the pie dish to guide your knife - the pastry should be flush with the edge of the dish.
• Using one or two fingers, work around the edge of the pie, crimping the pastry together. As well as adding an attractive fluted edge to the crust, this will help to glue the edges together.
• Cut a series of 3 or 4 slashes into the top of the pastry, ensuring you go right through. This will allow trapped air to escape and prevent the pastry from cracking open in an uncontrolled manner during cooking. If you have a pie-spout you can use this instead.
• Glaze the top of the pie with more of the egg glaze mix (don't feel that you must use all of it - you'll make the pasty soggy if you do!).
• Use a sieve to dust the top with the icing sugar and cinnamon.
• Place in a preheated oven, middle shelf at around 180 Celcius. Cook for around 30-40 minutes (fan assisted ovens will be quicker).
• When the top is browned and the pastry is firm all over take the dish from the oven and cool on a wire rack for around 20-30 minutes. DO NOT remove the pie from the dish until it has cooled as it will most likely disintegrate!
• To make the Crème Anglaise sauce, place the milk in a pan. Add the sugar and vanilla (if using vanilla pods, you can use the seeds from a pod, and or the pod itself. I have successfully used a pod which has been in a box of sugar for 3 months to make vanilla sugar and it worked perfectly). Heat gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the vanilla to infuse into the milk properly.
• In a jug/bowl, place the cornflour and add a little milk (roughly 1 tablespoon milk to 2 tablespoons of cornflour). Stir thoroughly until it forms a thick paste, adding a little more milk if necessary.
• Pour the mix into the milk pan, stirring it in thoroughly. Bring the milk to a boil, stirring continuously all the while. Be very careful and make sure you are using a non-stick pan here as the sauce can easily burn on the bottom. As soon as the sauce thickens to the consistency of custard/thick pureed soup, remove it from the heat. Continue to stir for a while to make sure the latent heat does not burn the sauce at the bottom of the pan.
• Pour liberally (hot or cold) onto hot or cold apple pie and enjoy!