Sous le Pommiers: Apple Pie with Cinnamon. Cider, and Maple

Everyone has his or her favorite apple. My wife, the red-haired food co-pilot, is partial to Granny Smith for their tartness. The young woman behind the cash register at the farmer’s market said she was “obsessed with Honey Crisp apples.” At another market a customer was waiting for her Jonathan apple fix.

I am more of an applications guy: What am I going to make?

It’s time for our weekly pie night. Autumn brings to mind certain tastes-cinnamon, freshly pressed apple ciders, and maple syrup (although made in the spring). I revisited my apple pie recipe and introduced these flavors; nothing astonishing, but you don’t need to reinvent the wheel all the time.

I used Cortland apples from a local farm market. Feel free to use your favorite apple.

You could leave off the top crust and cover the pie with a crisp-crumble topping. 

But don’t forget the vanilla ice cream.

Apple Pie with Cinnamon, Cider, and Maple

For one 9” pie

You will need pie dough for a double crust pie, or a single crust pie with crumb topping

2 ½ pounds apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into ½” thick slices

2/3 cup sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ cup maple syrup (accept no substitutes!)

1/3 cup apple cider

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

1. Place the sliced apples into a bowl.  Add the sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup and cider; mix to

distribute evenly. Set bowl aside for at least 20 minutes.

2. Roll the pie dough to an 1/8^th inch thickness and fit it into the pie pan. Refrigerate until needed.

2. Heat oven to 450 degrees. After the apples have sat for 20 minutes, add the cornstarch and mix until the cornstarch is dissolved.

3. If you haven’t rolled out the top crust, roll it out. Spread the apples evenly into the prepared bottom crust; pour the juices over the apples. Wet the edge of the bottom crust with the egg wash. Place the top crust over the apples, pressing to seal it to the edge of the bottom crust; trim away any excess dough. Seal and crimp the edges of the pie (or cover the pie with your favorite crumble mixture). Make a small steam hole in the center of the top crust. Brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle sugar over the top.  Place the pie onto baking pan and place the pie into the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for an hour, until the filling is bubbling (Listen!). You can also test to see if the apples are cooked by sliding a toothpick into the steam hole to see how easily it slides through the apples. Remove from oven and let cool.