AUTUMN APPLE PIE ... perfect for Thanksgiving!

This is not about making an apple pie, its about making it look "AMAZING". You can use your own recipe for the basic pie (or I have included a generic one here that works pretty good). Instead of lining the top with a sheet of pastry, we instead cover it with colored autumn leaves that are created using cut-out molds and food coloring.

Nov 2, 2019

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 pie crusts (buy at the grocery or make from scratch)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (can be either light or dark)
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • about 7 cups of peeled and sliced apples (Granny Smith is best)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 egg
  • food coloring (red, yellow, geen, blue, whatever)

PREPARE

Preheat oven to 375 dgrees.

Combine the sugars, flour and spices in a bowl.

Peel, core and slice thinly about 6 or 7 green apples.

Add the lemon juice to the apple slices immediately and toss. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Add the apple slices to the sugar mix and toss.

Separate the two pie crusts (uncooked),

Using your molds, punch out as many leaves as you possibly can from one of the pie crust shells.

Beat the egg and separate into 4 small dishes. Add one or two drops of different colored food coloring to each dish.

Using a small paint brush, delicately color most of the leaves but leave some un-colored..just put a little egg wash over them. If you have 4 or 5 brushes (you can get them at the .99 Cent Store) it will go faster; otherwise rinse the brush with water each time you switch colors.

With the second crust, line the bottom of your pie pan and crimp the edges. Pour the apple/sugar mixture on top.

With a small spatula or knive, place the colored leaves in random patterns over the top of the pie. Its not necessary to cover 100%.

Place pie on top of a cookie sheet and insert in oven. Cook for about 50 minutes. At 30 minutes take a peek, it the edges are starting to brown or burn, just place a sheet of tin foil loosely over the pie. I start looking at it at about the 45 minutes point. You will know by the coloring and bubbling when its done.

Let sit at room temperature for at least an hour before serving.


CHEF's NOTES:

  • You can frreze the uncooked pie for up to 2 months. Some recipes call for sprinkling a bit of butter and more sugar on top of the apple mixture just before you put the top on. I don't think it's necessary. To get as many "leaves" as possible from the 2nd crust, I roll it out a bit which makes it thinner, but increases the overall size. If you don't have a rolling pin, a wine bottle will do!
 
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