I was a little worried to bring this to Christmas dessert. While some of the family (myself included) thought my pear pie with maple and ginger was delicious, not everyone was a fan. Some of them thought it was, well, weird. They wouldn't even try it. (Can they be considered a non-fan if they wouldn't even try it? I don't think so.) Because of that, I was nervous and afraid this pie wouldn't be the perfect ten I wanted it to be. I wanted to bring this in and have everyone like it and believe that I really am a good cook. It worked! This pie was absolutely divine. I even won over some pretty amazing women who have been baking apple pies for more years than I've been alive!
Apple pie is, of course, a classic. Plain apple pie is wonderful all on its own, but the cranberries add just the right amount of tartness and bite, while the ginger adds a comforting warmth that makes this the perfect dessert for late fall or winter.
Apple-Ginger-Cranberry Pie
www.williams-sonoma.com
Ingredients:
For the dough:
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
16 TBSP (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 to 4 TBSP ice water
For the filling:
4 lb. Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (I could've gotten away with 3.5 lbs.)
1 1/2 c. cranberries
1/4 c. chopped crystallized ginger
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
raw turbinado sugar for sprinkling
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, divide in half and form each piece into a 5-inch disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Remove one of the dough disks from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Place the dough between 2 sheets of lightly floured waxed paper and roll out into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Brush off the excess flour.
5. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish and fit the dough into the dish. Trim the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 15 minutes.
6. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.
7. To make the filling: stir together the apples, cranberries, crystallized ginger, sugar, salt, flour and lemon juice in a large bowl. Transfer to the pie shell.
8. On a floured surface, roll out the remaining dough disk into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Cut designs out with lattice cutter or small cookie cutters, if desired. Tuck the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and press to seal. Sprinkle the top with sugar.
9. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, about 1 hour, covering the edges with aluminum foil if they begin to get too dark.
10.Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before serving. Serves 8.
Apple pie is, of course, a classic. Plain apple pie is wonderful all on its own, but the cranberries add just the right amount of tartness and bite, while the ginger adds a comforting warmth that makes this the perfect dessert for late fall or winter.
Apple-Ginger-Cranberry Pie
www.williams-sonoma.com
Ingredients:
For the dough:
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
16 TBSP (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 to 4 TBSP ice water
For the filling:
4 lb. Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (I could've gotten away with 3.5 lbs.)
1 1/2 c. cranberries
1/4 c. chopped crystallized ginger
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
raw turbinado sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
1. To make the dough: Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse once to blend. Add the butter and process in short pulses until pea-size crumbs form, 20 to 25 seconds. While pulsing, gradually add the ice water until large, moist crumbs form, about 10 seconds more. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water, 1 tsp. at a time, pulsing twice after each addition.2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, divide in half and form each piece into a 5-inch disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Remove one of the dough disks from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Place the dough between 2 sheets of lightly floured waxed paper and roll out into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Brush off the excess flour.
5. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish and fit the dough into the dish. Trim the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 15 minutes.
6. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.
7. To make the filling: stir together the apples, cranberries, crystallized ginger, sugar, salt, flour and lemon juice in a large bowl. Transfer to the pie shell.
8. On a floured surface, roll out the remaining dough disk into a 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Cut designs out with lattice cutter or small cookie cutters, if desired. Tuck the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and press to seal. Sprinkle the top with sugar.
9. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, about 1 hour, covering the edges with aluminum foil if they begin to get too dark.
10.Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before serving. Serves 8.