The Martha in Me: Deep Dish Apple Pie

This is the time of year that I usually start to "hunker down". I become less social, I start wearing my very mom-ish wool clogs, and I spend 75% of my day in the kitchen, baking, eating and sipping (or gulping) old fashioneds. This holiday season is going to be different - well, sort of. I will probably still do all of the above, but instead of resigning myself to a winter of isolation, I am going to say "yes" to more invitations and try to have people over, even if it is just to drink coffee and whine about how cold it is.

This pie is perfect for any social gathering, a 10am coffee or with a night cap. The deep dish crust allows you to pack almost double the amount of apples that you would put in a traditional pie. It looks beautiful and it tastes amazing.

* I used 3lbs golden delicious and 2 lbs of jonagold apples

deep dish apple pie - recipe from the smitten kitchen cookbook

crust ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, cold
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup ice water

filling ingredients:
5 lbs. apples (about 10-12 large apples)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

streusel ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons salted butter, melted

directions:
to make the crust: cut the cold butter into one-inch cubes. in a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and butter cubes together until the butter is incorporated into the flour. while running the food processor, slowly pour the cold water into the mixture. as soon as the mixture forms into a dough ball, stop the food processor. remove the dough from the food processor and form it into a ball. wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and let the dough ball chill in the refrigerator for one hour. after one hour, roll out the dough out on a floured surface to fit a 9-inch springform pan with 3-inch sides. place the dough into the pan, pressing it against the sides and along the bottom of the pan. trim off any overhanging dough. let the dough chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

to make the filling: peel, core, and dice the apples into cubes, no more than 1/4 inch thick. (the small pieces will fit better edge to edge in the crust.) put the diced apples into a large bowl. sprinkle the lemon juice, sugar, flour, salt, and spices over the apples and toss well making sure that all of the apples are evenly coated. evenly distribute the apple mixture, along with it's juices, in the prepared pie crust. use a spatula to spread the apples as flat and evenly as possible in order to make sure that all of the apples fit into the crust. bake the pie for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F while you prepare the streusel.

to make the streusel: stir together the sugars, flour, baking powder, and spices in a bowl. pour in the melted butter and stir until large clumps form. set the streusel aside until ready to use.

after the pie has baked for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F, remove the pie from the oven. sprinkle the streusel over the top of the pie, pressing it into the apples. reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake the pie for another 60 minutes. once baked, allow the pie to sit at room temperature to cool completely. (the pie will slice cleanly after sitting in the refrigerator for a while*.) remove the outside of the springform ring and slide the pie out to slice and serve.

* I baked my pie the night before put it in the refrigerator and pulled it out the next morning. I served it at room temp and it looked and tasted great!