Mile High Apple Pie

Mile High Apple Pie

Apples shrink when baked in an apple pie, so to make this pie a ''mile'' high, you'll need more apples than you think. Straining the juice from the apples and simmering it before returning it to the apples produces a thicker pie filling without losing any of the great apple flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 circles of basic pie dough (9-inch rounds)
• 9 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples (about 3 lbs 1/2-inch slices)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (or preferably freshly grated nutmeg)
• 1/4 tsp. allspice
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 – 2 Tbsp. butter, cut into cubes
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Roll out the pastry circles on a floured surface until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Place one circle of rolled-out dough into the pie dish and gently press the dough into the edges of the dish. Trim the edges of the pastry shell and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Place the other circle of dough in the refrigerator, either rolling it up in parchment paper or on a silicone baking sheet.
3. Combine the apples, sugars, and spices together in a large bowl. Stir and then let sit for at least 30 minutes. Strain the apples through a colander into a bowl, reserving the liquid. Bring this liquid to a simmer in a small saucepan on the stove and reduce it by almost half.
4. Toss the apples with the cornstarch and then return the reduced liquid to the apple mix. Transfer the apples to the pie dish with the rolled-out pastry. Pile the apples high in the dish and dot the apples with the butter. Drape the remaining rolled-out pastry circle over the top.
5. Brush the lower edge of the pastry with water and seal the top edge of the pastry down onto the bottom edge. Once sealed together, trim the pastry around the dish. Make 5 or more slits or cutouts in the pastry to allow steam to escape during cooking. Brush the surface of the pie with the lightly beaten egg, and sprinkle the surface with sugar.
6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue to bake for another 20 – 25 minutes. If at any point the edges of the crust are getting too dark, cover them with aluminum foil. The pie is finished when it's nicely browned on top and the apples inside are tender and soft when pierced with a paring knife through one of the vent slits