APPLE PIE with SPICED PASTRY
Adapted via Leanne Bakes
Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients
For the Spiced Pastry:
♦ 2 cups flour
♦ 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces
♦ 1 large egg, room temperature
♦ 1/4 cup sugar
♦ 1/8 tsp salt
♦ 1 tsp cinnamon
♦ 1/2 tsp ginger
♦ 1/4 tsp cloves
♦ 1/4 tsp nutmeg

For the Apple Pie:
♦ 6-8 apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
♦ 1/2 cup white sugar
♦ 1 tsp cinnamon
♦ 1/2 tsp nutmeg
♦ 2 tbsp flour

Directions
Make the pastry: Mix the flour, spices, and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter, and pinch with the fingers to make fine crumbs.

Make a well in the middle. Stir together egg and sugar, and pour into the well. Swiftly mix in with the fingertips until the mixture forms a dough. Do not overmix. Divide into 2 disks, one slightly larger, and wrap in plastic. Chill in fridge for at least an hour or overnight.

Prepare the filling: In a medium bowl, toss the apple cubes with the syrup, spices, and flour; set aside.

Assemble and bake: Remove the pie dough from the fridge, and roll out, on a slightly floured surface, the larger half into a circle large enough to cover the bottom of your pie dish. Pierce the bottom several times with a fork, and bake for 5-8 minutes. (This – a blind bake – will help the crust from getting all soggy from the filling. This is an optional step). Fill will the apple mixture, mounded slightly.

Roll out the smaller half of dough, and cut out small shapes with a cookie cutter of your choosing. Place the pieces, overlapping, on top of the pie. You can re-roll the dough to get more shapes.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the apples are soft. If the pie begins to brown too much, tent with foil. Will keep at room temperature for several hours.

To read more about this dish and my musical pairing, click HERE.