Apple-Cranberry Pie
An easy lattice-style top crust shows off the color of the cranberries in this apple-cranberry pie from award-winning Boston pastry chef Joanne Chang.
Apple-Cranberry Pie
Photo Credit : KristIn Teig | Styling by Rick HolbrookAn easy lattice-style top crust shows off the color of the cranberries in this apple-cranberry pie from award-winning Boston pastry chef Joanne Chang. A common problem with apple pie is the pesky gap between crust and fruit that forms during baking. Macerating the apples before they go into the oven softens them, which means you can pack more apples into your pie. The more fruit, the better!
From “Winter Baking with Joanne Chang,” January/February 2020
Yield:
8 servingsIngredients
1 recipe Extra-Flaky Pastry
4–5 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced ¼–½ inch thick
4–5 medium McIntosh or Rome apples, peeled, cored, and sliced ¼–½ inch thick
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup (220 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup (35 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¹⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¹⁄8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, for egg wash
2 tablespoons sanding or pearl sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
Make the Extra-Flaky Pastry and chill for 1 hour. Remove it from the fridge about 15 minutes before using.
On a well-floured surface, roll out ²⁄3 of the dough into a circle about ¹⁄8 inch thick and 12 inches across. (Wrap the remaining dough in plastic and refrigerate.) Poke the dough all over with a fork. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough, leaving a ¼-inch-wide lip to allow for shrinkage in the oven. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325° and place a rack in the center. Combine apples, cranberries, brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Let macerate at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Remove the pie shell from the fridge and line it with parchment. Place pie weights or dried beans directly onto the parchment; fill all the way to the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, rotating midway through, until the shell is light brown all over. Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Carefully remove the pie weights and discard the parchment.
Pile the fruit and any juices into the pie shell, lightly pressing down to compact them. Dot the butter evenly over the fruit. Take the remaining dough from the refrigerator, roll it into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick, and cut it into strips about 1 to 1¼ inches wide. Drape four strips of dough on top of the apples and overhanging the edge of the pie plate, all in the same direction, about 2 inches apart. Drape another four strips of dough at a 45-degree angle directly on top of the first strips, also about 2 inches apart. This is a shortcut lattice top for your apple pie.
Whisk the egg in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to brush it onto the top. Sprinkle with the sanding or pearl sugar, if desired.
Bake at 350° for 70 to 90 minutes, or until the lattice top is golden brown all the way through. Make sure all the strips are nicely golden brown without any pale spots, or else these will end up chewy. Remove from the oven and serve warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream or without. The pie may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 48 hours.
