Summer Fest on FN Dish was so much fun, but now it’s time for Fall Fest. Here’s my first blog post for the new franchise that’s part of Food Network. Be sure to read to the bottom of the post for more apple recipes from more contributors!
The Review
I recently got my issue of Southern Living Magazine and it was full of apple recipes. After flipping through it, one recipe in particular caught my attention: baking a pie in a cast iron skillet. What a great idea! Not to mention a clever presentation. The recipe was pretty simple, calling for a variety of apples and ready-made crust. But I had to take a second and then a third look at the actual recipe. The recipe called for ¾ cup of brown sugar and half of a stick of butter melted in the bottom of the cast iron skillet before the bottom crust is added. I’ve never seen this before. It sounded like it was going to very sweet, and it was.
I went ahead and followed the recipe, adjusting it here and there. I had a smaller skillet (an 8 inch and the recipe called for a 10 inch) so I didn’t add quite as much butter and brown sugar. I also had more of a variety of apples than what the recipe called for. My pie was more of a mile-high pie, once it was filled. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Next time I make this pie (and I will make it again) I’ll adjust the amount of sugar so that it’s not so sweet and I think I’ll skip the brown sugar and butter in the bottom of the skillet. As a matter of fact it might be good to melt the brown sugar and butter (like a caramel) then add the apples, toss that together with some cinnamon and then add that to the pie crust in the skillet, topping it with the other crust. But that’s for next time. Here is the recipe that I made from the September 2011 issue of Southern Living Magazine.
The Pie
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Hands on Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
2 lbs. Granny Smith apples
2 lbs Braeburn apples
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 (14.1 ounce) package refrigerator piecrusts
1 egg white
2 T granulated sugar
Butter-pecan ice cream
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel apples and cut into ½ inch thick wedges. Toss apples with cinnamon and ¾ cup granulated sugar.
2. Melt butter in a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat; add brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and place 1 piecrust in skillet over brown sugar mixture. Spoon apple mixture over piecrust and top with remaining piecrust.
Whisk egg white until foamy. Brush top of piecrust with egg white; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cut 4 or 5 slits in the top for the steam to escape.
3. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly, shielding with aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Cool on a wire rack 30 minutes before serving. Serve with butter-pecan ice cream.
Baking a pie in a cast iron skillet is a clever idea and one that I’ll try again. So give it a try and tweak it to your liking. You might just come up with a new creation. Isn’t that what cooking and baking are all about? Creation!
