I’m not sure why Americans have a tradition of eating Apple Pie on Fourth of July, may be just because it rhymes. I’ve never received a convincing answer to that question. Or may be none of the answers could convince me because apple orchards are in full bloom during Fall season and never in July. The mystery remains..

Coming back to the topic at hand (or in discussion), I love Apple Pies! The buttery flaky crust in combination with sweet and tart apples is just so mindblowing. I could do a face plant in the pie. But I do not condone or encourage that sort of behavior. Nevertheless, I stuffed my face with a lot of apple pie while experimenting with pie recipes.
I wanted to try pies in different forms – traditional, tarts, galettes, handpies. I stuck with a rustic galette because I didn’t want to post something that looks unreal making people think about the level of difficulty or the amount of effort they might have to put in.

 

I used Gala apples as opposed to the conventional Granny Smith or Honey Crisp used for baking. They turned out just as delicious (or dare I say, even more delicious). Back in India, I never knew there were so many varieties of apples produced. Most people in India are unaware of this fact. We just know these kinds – red or green and sweet or tart. Commoners didn’t really bother with classifying them further.

As far as it comes to arranging the apple slices, you can be as creative as possible and go with all kinds of different patterns of cuts, curls, roses and what not. Optionally you may also decorate with an artsy lattice, cutout leaves and flowers on top. For those like me who just want to make a damn pie and gobble it up, dump the apple slices write in and call it a “rustic” pie. Hah!  Follow the recipe and write to me if you have any queries, concerns or comments. I would be happy to interact with you. You may also tag me on Facebook/Instagram.

Happy Cooking!

Rustic Apple Pie

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Prep time: 45 mins        |    Cooking time: 30 mins        |    Serves : 4
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serving suggestion: Slice and serve with a scoop of vanilla icecream drizzled with Salted Caramel Sauce
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ingredients:

• 2 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup Dark/Light brown sugar, tightly packed
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp orange or lemon zest
• One 9 inch pie dough/crust, store-bought or homemade recipe

Method:

1. To make the filling, combine all the ingredients except pie dough, stir well and refrigerate while you roll out the dough. Now preheat the oven to 425F.
2. To assemble the pie, use a rolling pin, roll the dough with one-way strokes (no back & forth) into a large circle about 1/4 of an inch thick. Fold the dough over the rolling pin to lift it and plop it onto a pie dish or a baking sheet lined with foil or silicone mat, gradually unrolling it to spread. This should be done fast.
3. Spread the filling over the crust in the center leaving about 2 inches of edge. I did one slice at a time to avoid getting too much liquid into it. Fold the edges onto the filling to cover the filling about 2-3 inches, overlapping slightly as you fold each one.
4. Brush the crust with egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 mins. I suggest checking after 20 mins to avoid a dark crust because oven temperatures vary at times. Let it stand for an hour before sneaking a taste.
5. Cut a slice, top with vanilla ice-cream and drizzle with Salted Caramel Sauce.

Note: Use as much dough as needed to cover the diameter plus 2-3 inches of your pie dish. I made one apple galette and two 3-inch cranberry tarts with 1 batch of the dough.
If the crust darkens quickly, cover it with aluminium foil.