Make the most of autumn’s apples with this no-gap deep dish apple pie. This recipe yields a golden, buttery crust packed with tons of sweet, juicy apples.
Pre-cook the apples a bit to "set" their shape for the perfect deep-dish apple pie.
Photo Credit: Aimee Seavey
With autumn nearly here, it’s time to turn our eyes towards one of the most beloved seasons in New England – apple season!
Each fall we trek to our favorite orchards and pick bags of apples to bring home and eat. Some don’t make it out of the orchard (it’s so hard to resist sampling), but others are turned into a slew of apple treats, and none is more beloved in my house than deep dish apple pie. There are a lot of good apple pie recipes out there, but having made more than my fair share by now, I can say that this Blue-Ribbon Deep-Dish Apple Pie recipe from senior food editor Amy Traverso is better than good. In fact, I think it’s the best.
Why? Just look at it!
Pre-cook the apples a bit to “set” their shape for the perfect deep-dish apple pie. Photo Credit: Aimee Seavey
What makes this recipe stand out is the method for pre-cooking the apples slightly before you fill the pie. This helps to firm them up in advance, so when you take your pie out of the oven it will be baked to perfection with a golden brown, buttery crust and a deep pile of packed in apples. There’s no runny filling or gap between the dough and the apples in this pie!
And finally, while we love fresh whipped cream of vanilla ice cream, no deep dish apple pie in New England would be complete without the slice of sharp cheddar on the side (or even sometimes shredded and baked right into the crust). The sweet-meets-salty pairing is delicious and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
In New England, apple pie and cheddar cheese are a match made in tastebud heaven. Photo Credit: Aimee Seavey
Are you ready for New England apple season?
This post was first published in 2013 and has been updated.
Aimee Tucker
Aimee Tucker is Yankee’s senior digital editor. A lifelong New Englander and Yankee contributor since 2010, Aimee has written columns devoted to history, foliage, retro food, and architecture, and regularly shares her experiences in New England travel, home, and gardening. Her most memorable Yankee experiences to date include meeting Stephen King, singing along to a James Taylor Fourth of July concert at Tanglewood, and taking to the skies in the Hood blimp for an open-air tour of the Massachusetts coastline.
I remember the days when you ordered a slice of pie in a restaurant they always asked if you wanted a slice of cheese with it or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it. I never wanted the cheese, but always asked for a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
MAKE IT EVEN BETTER!!!! I use the seriously sharp from Cabot Farms. Before adding the top crust, grate this cheese over the top of the apple mixture. Eat hot out the oven with your fav ice cream . or refrigerate for later use. Then just reheat so the cheese gets soft and gooey again. The has never failed me.
I remember the days when you ordered a slice of pie in a restaurant they always asked if you wanted a slice of cheese with it or a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it. I never wanted the cheese, but always asked for a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
MAKE IT EVEN BETTER!!!! I use the seriously sharp from Cabot Farms. Before adding the top crust, grate this cheese over the top of the apple mixture. Eat hot out the oven with your fav ice cream . or refrigerate for later use. Then just reheat so the cheese gets soft and gooey again. The has never failed me.