Recipe: Crisp-crust cinnamon apple pie

Makes 10-inch pie

Pie Crust

2 1/3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour (measure by dipping cup into the flour sack and then sweeping off any excess with a flat knife blade)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, each cut into 4 or 5 pieces, no smaller

1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

5 to 7 tablespoons ice water or iced apple juice

Filling:

7 large Granny Smith apples (or other tart, firm apple), peeled, cored and sliced about 1/2-inch thick (don't use Golden Delicious)

Juice of 1 large lemon

1/2 to 2/3 tightly packed cup dark brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 generous teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons flour

For Assembling Pie:

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1 egg yolk

For the Crust Glaze:

1 egg, beaten

3 tablespoons sugar

1. A day or more ahead, start the pie crust. Take a large plastic bag and measure in all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar and salt) and toss them together. Add the butter to the bag and seal it. Put it in the freezer for about 1 hour to 3 months.

2. Turn the contents into a food processor fitted with a steel blade, or into a big chilled bowl. Process 2 seconds to break up the butter into slightly smaller chunks. Sprinkle the vinegar or lemon juice and 5 tablespoons ice water over the flour and pulse 4 times. Test the dough to see if it holds together between two fingers. If it's crumbly, sprinkle another 2 tablespoons ice water and pulse 3 times. Test again. It should look lumpy and not thoroughly mixed, but if it holds together when you pinch some between your fingers, it is ready. If working by hand, rub the butter and flour between your fingertips (not your palms, they are too warm and will melt the butter) until the mixture is in big 2-inch flakes. Sprinkle the liquids over the mix and lightly toss with a fork to moisten. Try to hold together. If crumbly, sprinkle in a little more liquid and toss. Don't beat or stir.

With either method, when the dough still looks rough and lumpy, gather it into a ball. Then divide the dough into 2 balls (one slightly larger than the other), wrap up and refrigerate 30 minutes to 24 hours.

3. Grease a 10-inch metal pie plate (do not use glass). Generously flour a countertop. Roll out the bigger piece of dough into a big circle that's about 1/8-inch thick. Lightly flour the top of the dough to keep it from sticking to the pin. Fit it into the pie pan, leaving about a 2-inch overhang. (Save scraps for decorating the pie.) Chill 30 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, toss together the apples and lemon juice. Add the other ingredients for the filling (except the 2 tablespoons flour), tasting for sweetness and adjusting as needed. Turn into a sieve and set over the bowl. Leave for 30 minutes.

5. Remove the middle rack of the oven. Preheat to 400 degrees.

6. Spread a piece of foil over a cookie sheet. Roll out remaining dough to a circle that's about 16 inches in diameter. Set on the foil and chill 30 minutes.

7. Turn the drained juices from the filling into a saucepan and boil them into a thick syrup. Scrape back into the apples, tossing them with the 2 tablespoons flour.

8. Take the pastry-lined pie plate, and trim away any overhanging crust, but make sure there is crust on the rim. Line it with foil. Then fill with dried beans or rice to weigh down the crust and keep it from shrinking. Bake 10 minutes, or until the crust is firm and looking a little dry. Lift the pie pan to a counter, and gently remove foil, taking care not to tear the crust. (Do not eat the beans or rice that have been used to line the pan.) Pierce the crust with a fork, brush with the egg white and bake another 5 minutes, or until pale gold and dry looking. Cool.

9. Fill the bottom of the pie shell with apples, mounding them high and pressing out air pockets. Brush the yolk over the rim of baked pastry. Now cover the pie with the big round of pastry. Seal edges together by rolling the top pastry in on itself and pressing it down to the yoked rim crust. There should be a ridge of crust on the rim.

10. Brush beaten egg over the top of the pie. Cut out a few steam holes. Cut out stars or leaves from the dough scrapings and arrange them on the crust but not on the steam holes. Brush with more egg and sprinkle with sugar.

11. Bake pie on a cookie sheet for about 1 hour, or until apples are bubbly and tender when you pierce them through one of the steam holes.

12. Cool the pie on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Lynne Rossetto Kasper