Mile-High Apple Pie

By Venzie

Ingredients

• Pastry:
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup cold water
• Filling:
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 6 pounds assorted crisp apples, such as Granny Smith, and Jonathan, peeled, cored and cut into 3/4-inch thick wedges
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons instant tapioca
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 4 ginger cookies, crumbled
• Glaze:
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Prep:45 minutes Cook:15 minutes:then 25-30 minutes
Heat oven to 450° then to 350°

Pastry:in large bowl, mix flour, sugar, and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are the size of peas remain and texture is uniform. Drizzle in cold water, tossing with fork until dough is evenly moistened and just begins to hold together. Transfer dough to lightly floured surgace, and gather together. Divide dough in half;shape each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic: refrigerate for 1 hour.
Filling:meanwhile, in large deep pot (at least 6 quarts), heat butter over medium heat. Add apple wedges;cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until just tender (not falling apart). Transfer apples to large bowl;refrigerate 1 hour.
In small bowl, stir together sugar, tapicoa, cinnamon, ginger, cloves until well blended. Once apples are cool, gently stir sugar mixture into the apples. Set aside.
On lightly floure surface, roll one half of dough itno 14-inch circle. Carefully transfer dough to 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Trim excess dough and reserve, leaving slight overhang.
Sprinkle crumbled cookies over bottom of crust. Using slotted spoon, transfer apple mixture to pie dish, mounding very high in center. Pour remaining liquid in bowl over apples.
Roll out second half of dough into 13-inch circle. Carefully drape on top of mounded pie filling. Trim any excess pastry and reserve;crimp top edge together with bottom crust;flute decoratively. Cut 3 vents in pastry with paring knige. Gather reserved scrapes of dough together and roll out;cut out leaf shapes. Attach to top crust of pie with a little of the egg wash from the glaze. Place pie in freezer for 20 minutes to firm crust.
Heat oven to 425°.
Glaze:remove the pie from the freezer. Brush the crust with the egg wash;sprinkle with the sugar.
Bake in 425° over for 15 minutes to set crust. Lower temperature to 350°;bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden and apples are very tender;cover edge of crust with foil if it browns too quickly. Cool pie on wire rack for about 1 hour or until bottom is warm but not hot to the touch. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.