2022 Vuelta - Stage 3: Breda.
Today wraps up the Tour de Netherlands, so to speak. Tomorrow is a rest day, and the remaining 18 stages will all be in Spain. I made this on my day off between traveling up the Eastern seaboard. Last week we were at Disney World and tomorrow we’ll arrive in Truro, Massachusetts. Why did I bake on my day off between very long drives? Because I like to torture myself. This Dutch Apple Pie, though, was well worth the effort, and I’ll be bringing it up so we can enjoy the remainder for the next few days.
Dutch Apple Pie adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Pie Dough
4 tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled
4 tbsp butter, cut into 16 pieces and frozen for 30 minutes
1.5 cups AP flour
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
6 tbsp ice water
Filling
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
5 medium granny smith apples
2 tbsp butter
½ cup golden raisins
Streusel Topping
1.25 cups AP flour
⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
⅓ cup sugar
1 tbsp cornmeal
7 tbsp butter melted
Portion out the butter and shortening and chill. When ready, combine the dry ingredients in a food processor, fitted with a metal blade, and mix for a couple seconds. Add in the chilled shortening and butter and pulse until combined, 12 one-second pulses.
Dump the mixture into a bowl and sprinkle on the water. Use a rubber spatula and fold the mixture together. Dump it out on a clean work surface and ball it all together, then flatten into a 4-inch round disc. Wrap in cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.
While the dough chills, mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a large bowl with a pinch of salt. Peel and quarter your apples. Cut each quarter crosswise into ¼-inch slices and add the slices to the bowl and toss to combine.
Melt the butter in a large pot and add in the apple slices and cook over medium heat, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the raisins and cook for an additional 10 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat and remove the lid. Give one last stir and allow to cool in the pot.
After an hour’s chill, place the dough on a floured work surface and roll out into a 12” round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate, trimming any excess of more than a half-inch. Fold the loose dough in under itself and crimp the edges. Place the pie dough in the freezer for 30 minutes. N.B. if working with a dough disc that has chilled for more than an hour, set on the counter for about 30 minutes prior to rolling.
While the prepared dough freezes, preheat the oven to 425 and make the streusel by mixing together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until nuggets form. Dump out the streusel mix onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.
After the dough has chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes, place 2 layered 12-inch sheets of foil onto the dough, curling the excess over the crust edges. Place 1 lb of dried beans (or pie weights) on the foil. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and beans and bake for another 10 minutes.
Remove the prepared crust from the oven. Pour in the apple filling and level it off. Top the apples with the streusel topping. Some of the streusel combines like a cookie. Just break those into little pieces before adding to the pie.
Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack for about 30 minutes and serve.
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Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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