As a beginner cook, following a recipe and believing wholeheartedly in its ultimate success is almost always ambitious. Nevertheless, the New York Times Cooking section makes it a lot easier. This Apple Pie recipe is nothing short of delicious, and the perfect fall dessert for any table. That being said, I recently discovered a tasty rival to the treat available in the Providence area — minus the one hour and thirty minutes preparation time.
For those of age, the Bayberry Beer Hall on West Fountain Street hosts a warm and lively environment for both food and an extensive selection of beer (and flights if you can’t decide on one in particular). A true highlight of the menu is the Apple Pie cider. The comforting blend of cinnamon married with the sweet-sour flavor of a ripe Red Delicious proves to be just as savory as a pie straight out of the oven.
Of course, here’s the New York Times pie recipe for those willing (it won’t dissapoint):
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ½ pounds apples, peeled and cored, then cut into wedges (5 large honeycrisps will do it)
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 recipe all-purpose pie dough
1 egg, lightly beaten
Instructions:
- Melt butter in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat and add apples to the pan. Stir to coat fruit with butter and cook, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, whisk together the spices, salt and 3/4 cup sugar, and sprinkle this over the pan, stirring to combine. Lower heat and cook until apples have started to soften, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle the flour and cornstarch over the apples and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, add cider vinegar, stir and scrape fruit mixture into a bowl and allow to cool completely. (The fruit mixture will cool faster if spread out on a rimmed baking sheet.)
- Place a large baking sheet on the middle rack of oven and preheat to 425. Remove one disc of dough from the refrigerator and, using a pin, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 12 inches in diameter. Fit this crust into a 9-inch pie plate, trimming it to leave a .5-inch overhang. Place this plate, with the dough, in the freezer.
- Roll out the remaining dough on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 10 or 11 inches in diameter.
- Remove pie crust from freezer and put the cooled pie filling into it. Cover with remaining dough. Press the edges together, trim the excess, then crimp the edges with the tines of a fork. Using a sharp knife, cut three or four steam vents in the top of the crust. Lightly brush the top of the pie with egg wash and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar.
- Place pie in oven and bake on hot baking sheet for 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 375. Continue to cook until the interior is bubbling and the crust is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes more. Remove and allow to cool on a windowsill or kitchen rack, about two hours.