Cast Iron Apple Pie

By jgroeneveld

There is nothing quite like a perfect apple pie. However, in the average pie the fruit is unevenly cooked, and its juice turns the crust pale and soggy, making it impossible to slice the pie neatly. Luckily, a cast-iron skillet can solve all of these problems. We started by precooking the apples in the skillet, which drove off some of the extra juice while adding deep caramelized flavor. We enriched our filling with apple cider, maple syrup, lemon zest and juice, and cinnamon. The high sides of the skillet were perfect for a deep-dish pie. Greasing the skillet before lining it with dough ensured a golden-brown crust and made the pie easy to slice and serve.

Ingredients

• 2 2 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 2 1/2 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, halved, and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 2 2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, halved, and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 1 12-inch recipe double-crust pie dough, top and bottom crusts rolled out into 12-inch rounds
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 1 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 1/2 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 1/2 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice
• 1/8 1/8 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1 2 large egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water
• 2 2 2 teaspoons sugar

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet. Add half of apples, cover, and cook until apples begin to release their juice, about 4 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer apples and their juice to rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and remaining apples; transfer to sheet. Spread apples into even layer and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

2. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease clean, dry, cooled skillet. Loosely roll 1 crust around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto prepared skillet. Ease crust into skillet by gently lifting and supporting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into skillet bottom and corners with your other hand. Leave any overhanging dough in place.

3. Whisk cider, maple syrup, cornstarch, salt, lemon zest and juice, and cinnamon together in large bowl until smooth. Add cooled apples and any accumulated juices and toss to combine. Transfer apple mixture to dough-lined skillet, mounding apples slightly in middle. Loosely roll remaining crust around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto filling.

4. Trim any overhanging dough to 1/2 inch beyond lip of skillet, then ease edge of top crust into skillet until flush with bottom crust. Gently press top and bottom crusts together to seal. Roll in edge of crust, then press rolled edge against sides of skillet using index finger to create attractive fluted rim. Using paring knife, cut eight 2-inch vents in top crust in circular pattern. Brush crust liberally with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

5. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until crust is deep golden brown and filling is bubbling, 40 to 50 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through baking. Transfer skillet to wire rack and let pie cool until filling is set, about 2 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.