Sour Cream Apple Pie

                                                   “Jackie, have you ever made a pie before?”

                                          “I don’t cook much. I plan on getting by on my looks.”*

           

This recipe requires a little advance prep but the small amount of work makes the final assembly easier. Slightly precooking the apples assures everything bakes evenly.

Sour Cream Apple Pie with Walnut Struesel

For one 9” pie

You will need one recipe of pie dough for a 9” pie

2 ½ pounds apples, your choice

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 cup apple cider

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup sour cream

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Walnut Struesel

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 ½ ounces) chopped walnuts

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1. Peel and core the apples. Cut the apples into ½” slices. Place a large sauté pan over medium heat; if you don’t have a large enough pan, you can cook the apples in batches. When the pan it hot, add the butter; after the butter has melted add the apples to the pan; sprinkle the apples with sugar and stir. Pour the apple cider into the pan. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally until they just begin to soften, about 5 minutes or so. Remove the apples from the heat. Strain the apples, reserving the juice. Set apples aside to cool. Place the cornstarch into a bowl; whisk in the reserved apple cider until smooth. Pour this mixture back into the sauté pan. Place the pan over medium heat and while stirring, bring it to a boil at which point it will thicken. Transfer the thickened cider to a container. Let cool. When the apples and the cider are cool, store each separately in the refrigerator until needed. This can be done 1 to 2 days in advance of baking.

2. Roll the pie dough to 1/8” thickness and fit it into the pie pan. Trim and crimp the edge. Using a fork, lightly prick the bottom and sides of the crust. Refrigerate or freeze the pie shell for at least 30 minutes.

When you are ready to bake the pie:

3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator or freezer. Place the pan on a baking tray. Line the inside of the pie shell with a piece of aluminum foil. Fill the foil with either dried beans, rice or pie weights. Place the pie pan into the oven a bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the pie pan from the oven, carefully remove the foil and the pie weights and return the pie shell to the oven for an additional 5 minutes of baking. Remove pie shell from the oven and let cool.

4. To make the streusel topping, combine all of the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix to combine the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into small pieces, add them to the bowl and mix until crumbs form. This can also be done by hand using a fork or pastry blender. Set crumb mixture aside.

5. Mix the apples with the reserved juices and set aside. In a second bowl, mix together the sour cream, egg, and vanilla until smooth.

6. When the pie shell is cool, spread the apples into the bottom of the partially baked pie shell. Spread the sour cream mixture over the apples. Top the pie with the streusel mixture. Place the pie into the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and let cool before serving.

*from “That 70’s Show”, dialogue between Kitty Foreman (Debra Jo Rupp) and Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis).