Dutch Apple Pie

Fall’s harvest brings with it warm, delectable flavors which infuse a sense of never-ending comfort. Visions of cuddling on the couch wrapped up in a cozy blanket near your fireside hearth to take off the chill in the autumn’s crisp awakening can only be made perfect with a slice of Dutch Apple Pie.  My favorite choice of apple to use in this pie is Honeycrisp. Their sweet, tart and juicy flavor makes them perfect for this pie with its warm blend of spices.

To start with, make a double batch of my Ultimate All-Butter Pie Crust since you will be making more than one of these! (Perhaps you could use the one for a quiche.) Of course, you could always use a pre-made crust, but there’s nothing like a buttery crust with this apple-crumb combination! I really love this pie crust, but sometimes we have had encounters with an unwanted soggy bottom. After researching why this occurs, I came across an article on The Spruce Eats blog that’s worth reading in its entirety:  Prevent a  Soggy Bottom Pie Crust . Different types of pies require different pie crusts. Several methods are presented so test out a few of these suggestions on your next pie-baking marathon to find your fool-proof method or combination of methods to bring about the best result.

To follow up on one of those suggestions, I rolled out the  dough making sure it was a bit thicker and not as thin as I normally would. Using half of the Ultimate All-Butter Pie Crust recipe, I rolled it just outside the 12″ mark on the mat. Conform the crust to the pan with about 1/2′ to 3/4″ overhang. Trim any excess beyond that point, tuck under edge and crimp.

A second suggestion was to brush the inside of the crust with a slightly beaten EGG WHITE wash. I brushed up the sides as well as the bottom. I chilled it for a few minutes in the fridge for it to set before I poured in the filling. A third suggestion I followed was to place the rimmed baking pan on which you will place your pie in the oven as it preheats. When the oven was ready, I removed the pan and placed the pie on the baking sheet then poured in the filling. While doing this, the bottom of the crust is reacting to the heat of the pan and beginning to bake.

Now, let’s back track to the beginning of the filling. An apple/peeler/corer/slicer is the perfect gadget to use to accelerate the process; the grandchildren love this device!  If you don’t have one, do it the old-fashioned way.  Peel, core and thinly slice the apples that measure about  8 cups. Toss the apples with the lemon juice then place them in the saucepan. Pour a scant 1/4 cup of water in the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Within 8-10 minutes, the apples will no longer be firm and will take up less space in the saucepan as shown below.

 

 

Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and spices together and sprinkle over the apples in the pot, stirring to evenly coat. Simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes while stirring occasionally. Once the thickening occurs, take apples off of the burner and set aside. This combination of spices is perfect according to my neighbor and her husband who did a taste-testing for me. I truly believe freshly grated nutmeg invokes the best flavor rather than store bought version. Invest in a nutmeg grinder, or similar device,  if you bake a lot. You won’t regret it!

Placed prepared pie pan on HOT baking sheet This filling is perfect in color, form and taste! Complete the last step by smothering the crumb mixture on top just before placing it in the oven. If you need pics of creating the crumb topping, link over to my recipe for Crumb Cake. This is the same topping I use for it. (You really need to make that too!)

I baked this Dutch Apple Pie  for about 45-50 minutes at 375 degrees on a rack which was placed on the top third of the oven. Allow it to cool a bit at room temperature before slicing. Individual slices can be rewarmed in the microwave for the fresh-out-of-the-oven effect. Don’t forget the scoop of vanilla ice cream!

If you want to make this ahead of time, it can be frozen, covered with foil. I wanted to test this out for the blog. I found that a really sharp chef’s knife cut through this frozen pie making perfect slices for serving,. (We made 8 slices, but you could make more.) I placed it back in the freezer and just took out 1 as needed. I allowed it to thaw out at room temperature or I microwaved it in 30 second increments until center was warm enough.

If you look at this portion of the cut frozen pie, you will notice the flakiness of the bottom crust. It appears that those suggestions worked. ( I had read on one blog post about not skipping the egg white wash on the crust. I guess there’s something to say about that process with a fruit filled pie. )

This slice represents a frozen slice that was microwaved before serving.