Originally for Easter I was planning on making a dessert more reflective of Spring but we still have a good amount of snow on the ground, so Apple Pie it is! It's a day of family gathering and the home feel of a good Apple Pie fit right in.
I like baking apple pies in a cast iron pan because the heat retained makes a nice flaky crust and also just looks good. Pies are very visual dessert so a good appearance is as important as a good tasting pie I think. This also has a slight variation in that it uses a little dried sage to add just a small amount of savory which goes great with sweet foods like brown sugar.
I use a fairly basic pie crust recipe for several dishes and it never fails me. This will give you enough crust for a top and bottom. In this case we made a lattice top.
For The Crust:
2 Cups AP Flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 Cup Milk
Combine the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combines. While the food processor is running slowly pour in the wet ingredients. Add additional water until the dough can be pinched together and not crumble. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. This is a great dough for desserts as well as savory pies like quiche. Today we will be making pot pies and using this same crust recipe.
Peel 6 apples of your choice and store in water that has had 1 tsp lemon juice added so that the apples do not brown.
Preheat Oven to 425.
For the Pie Filling you need:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 Cup white sugar
1 TBSP dried sage
1/2 Cup butter
1 TBSP AP flour
1/4 Cup water
Melt the butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add the sage and saute for just about 1 minute. Add the flour and stir until a paste forms and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add the sugars and then pour in the water until a thick sauce forms.
Drain the apples and place into a large bowl. Drizzle the sauce over the apples and stir until well coated.
Line the bottom of a cast iron pan with 1 crust. Add apples and pour remaining liquid over the apples in the pan. Top the pan with either a lattice crust or whole crust. If using a whole crust, cut out small vent holes in the center.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and continue to cook for another 50 minutes or until apples are tender. Allow to cook until ready to serve. Personally I like a room temperature pie but you can easily reheat this in the oven again for 10-15 minutes.
