Bon Appetits Special Apple Pie Recipes

BA'S BEST DEEP-DISH APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in food processor to combine. Add butter and process until largest pieces of butter are pea-size. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Combine vinegar and 1/2 cup ice water in a small bowl and drizzle over flour mixture, mixing with a fork to combine. Mix until shaggy pieces form, then knead in bowl a couple of times with your hands to bring together into a shaggy dough (it will look quite dry). Transfer large clumps of dough to work surface, drizzle 1 Tbsp. ice water over remaining flour mixture in bowl and knead again to bring it together. Add to dough on work surface. Working with half of the dough, press into a single mass, incorporating dry bits, then pat down to make a 3/4"-thick square. Using a bench scraper or knife, divide dough into 4 pieces. Stack pieces on top of one another, placing any unincorporated dry bits in between layers, and press down to combine. Form dough into a 3/4"-thick disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill at least 2 hours.
• Toss apples with brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, allspice, and cardamom in a large bowl to coat. Let apples sit until they start to release their juices, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
• Let dough sit at room temperature 5 minutes to soften. Working one at a time, roll out disks of dough on a lightly floured surface 1/8" thick. Place each on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill while you prepare the filling.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place apple cider in a medium saucepan and scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add pod. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking occasionally, until reduced by two-thirds. Pour off juices that have accumulated in bowl of apples and add to apple cider. Return to a boil and cook until reduced to about 1/2 cup; remove vanilla pod. Stir cornstarch into 3 Tbsp. water in a small bowl to dissolve, then whisk into apple cider. Cook, whisking constantly, until cider mixture is very thick and bubbling, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly, then scrape over apples; toss to coat.
• Carefully transfer dough round to pie dish. Lift up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish (if too cold to be pliable, let it warm up slightly first). Trim, leaving about 1" overhang. Beat egg with 1 tsp. water in a small bowl and brush over edges of dough. Scrape in apple filling, creating a mound in the center; dot filling with butter. Place remaining dough round over filling. Trim edges of top round, leaving a 1/2" overhang. Fold edge of bottom round up and over; press together to seal. Crimp edge and brush top with remaining egg wash. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and cut a few vents in top. Place pie on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and chill in freezer 10 minutes.
• Bake pie until crust is deep golden brown and juices are thick and bubbling, 1 1/2-2 hours (yes: 2 hours!). Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool at least 4 hours before serving.
• Do Ahead
• Dough can be made 5 days ahead. Keep chilled, or freeze up to 1 month. Pie can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool; store covered with foil at room temperature.

COUNTRY APPLE TART WITH SPICED BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• For crust:
• Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and process, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolks and process, using on/off turns, until dough comes together in large moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Cover with plastic; chill 20 minutes.
• Spray 10-inch-diameter springform pan with nonstick spray. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll out 1 dough piece on generously floured surface to 10 1/2-inch round. Roll dough up on rolling pin and transfer to pan. Press dough round into bottom of pan, patching any cracks. Divide second dough piece into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece between palms and generously floured surface to 7-inch rope. Place dough ropes end to end to form 1 continuous ring along bottom edge of pan. Press dough ring firmly up sides of pan, forming 1 3/4-inch-high sides. Press dough seams together to seal. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake crust just until set and very light golden around edges, about 10 minutes. Cool.
• For apples:
• Position 1 rack in bottom third of oven and 1 rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Spray 2 heavy large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Toss apples with butter and lemon juice in very large bowl. Arrange in single layer on sheets, leaving spaces between apples. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons sugar over apples on each sheet. Bake until apples are tender and golden brown, turning apples occasionally and rotating pans between lower and higher racks, about 40 minutes. Cool. (Crust and apples can be made 1 day ahead. Cover crust and store at room temperature. Place apples in bowl. Cover; refrigerate.)
• Place pan with crust on clean baking sheet. Arrange apple wedges close together, standing on short ends, in concentric circles in crust.
• For spiced brown butter:
• Melt butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into butter; add bean. Add cloves, star anise and cinnamon stick. Cook over low heat until butter turns golden brown and spices flavor butter, adjusting heat if necessary to prevent burning and stirring frequently, about 25 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk eggs, sugar, flour, and salt to blend in medium bowl. Strain spiced brown butter mixture into egg mixture; whisk to blend. Reserve vanilla bean, star anise, and cinnamon stick; discard cloves. Slowly pour egg mixture over apples in crust. Bake until egg mixture is set, puffed and light golden and apples are deep golden brown, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Cool on rack at least 30 minutes. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Release pan sides. Transfer tart to platter. Garnish tart with reserved vanilla bean, star anise, and cinnamon stick, if desired. Serve tart slightly warm or at room temperature with ice cream.
• Brown star-shaped seed pods available at Asian markets and specialty foods stores and in the spice section of some supermarkets.

BON APPETIT'S SPECIAL APPLE PIE

Steps:

• For crust: Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Cut in cold butter using pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water and toss mixture gently with a fork until evenly moistened. Gather gently into ball.
• Transfer to lightly floured board and roll into circle slightly larger than a deep 10-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pan and flute a high edge. Set aside.
• For filling: Preheat oven to 450*F. Combine apples, sour cream, sugar, flour, egg, vanilla and salt in large bowl and mix well. Spoon into crust. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350*F and continue baking until filling is slightly puffed and golden brown, about 40 minutes. (If edges of crust begin to brown too quickly, cover with strips of aluminum foil.).
• For topping: Meanwhile, combine walnuts, flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl and mix well. Blend in butter until mixture is crumbly. Spoon over pie and bake 15 minutes longer.

BON APPETIT'S OLD WORLD APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*F. Combine flour, butter, shortening and salt in chilled large bowl and blend until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add 3 tablespoons ice water and mix just until dough holds together, adding another tablespoon water if necessary.
• Form dough into ball; flatten into disc. Transfer to floured surface and roll out into 12-inch circle. Fit into 9-inch deep-dish pie pan, trimming excess. Prick bottom and sides of crust with fork.
• Bake 10 minutes. Retain oven temperature at 350*F.
• Filling: Combine apples, 1 cup brown sugar, cornstarch, rum and cinnamon in large bowl and mix well. Spoon into pie shell.
• Combine remaining 1 cup brown sugar, pecans, oats, flour and melted butter in large bowl and mix well (mixture will be crumbly).
• Sprinkle over apple mixture. Bake until top is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 50 minutes. Serve warm.