I am a sucker for baked apples, of any kind. Apple pie is a classic American dish for a reason- it’s amazing! The only problem I have is my inability to bake a decent pie. My struggle lies in the crust. It is SO much work and I apparently don’t have the magic touch that makes it turn out every time. Perhaps I haven’t stumbled upon the right pie crust recipe just yet? Anytime I want to bake pie I always use a store bought crust and cross my fingers no one asks me if it’s homemade. For Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law, who does have the magic pie touch, is always in charge of the pies. I should probably bribe her to teach me sometime….
One day while rummaging though my mail, I found an endorsement for a magazine subscription that had sample recipe cards included. That’s how I came across this recipe for Apple Cherry Slab Pie. I was intrigued to try an apple pie that used puff pastry and didn’t require a classic pie crust. I decided to try this slab pie out on my family during one Sunday’s dinner gathering. We all agreed that this pie was light and tasty, not a dessert that will leave you feeling 5lbs heavier. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side and it can’t be turned down. What is your favorite way to bake with apples?
Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 15×10 inch baking pan. For filling, in a bowl stir together apples, dried cherries, granulated sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
To prepare the apples I use one of my favorite tools- an apple corer, peeler and slicer all in one. It seriously is worth ever inch of storage space it takes up in my cabinets for how easily it makes this step of peeling, coring and thinly slicing apples. My mom passed on this tool to me years ago and I seem to be finding more and more recipes to use it on. Think pies, dehydrated apples, apple pancakes, apple sauce, and so on…
On a lightly floured surface, unfold one sheet of pastry. Roll pastry into a 16×10 inch rectangle. Transfer to the prepared baking pan. Spread filling over pastry to within 1 inch of edges. The original recipe said to roll the pastry into a 15×10 inch rectangle, which made no sense to me, since you’d be pulling the smaller rectangle of pastry up and over a larger, top piece. Making it 16×10 inches made this step a lot easier! It will hang over the 15×10 inch baking sheet, only to be rolled up for baking in the next few steps.
Unfold the remaining sheet of pastry; roll into a 16×10 inch rectangle. Place pastry on top of filling. Moisten edges of bottom pastry with milk.
Fold bottom pastry over top pastry; gently press edges to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut slits in pastry. Brush lightly with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. If you’ve never used coarse sugar before, look for “sanding sugar” when shopping.
Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until filling is bubble and pastry is puffed and golden. If needed to prevent overbrowning, cover pie loosely with foil the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking.
For icing, stir together powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Stir in enough milk to reach drizzling consistency. Drizzle icing over warm pie. Cool on a wire rack. I make my icing ahead of time and bake the pie while we are eating dinner. This way, the pie is fresh out of the oven and I don’t have to fuss (okay, it isn’t really a fuss) with making the icing while I have company over. If your icing seems to harden while it sits, just give it a good stir or add a dash more of milk to thin it if you need to. Plus, if you bake it while you’re eating, it will make your house smell amazing!
Ingredients:
2 1/2lbs. cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about 7 cups)
2/3 cup snipped dried cherries or dried cranberries
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 – 17.3oz pkg. frozen fluffy pastry (2 sheets), thawed
Milk for brushing
coarse sugar, for sprinkling
For the icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt
4 to 5 tsp. milk
Directions:
Prep: 25 minutes Bake: 50 minutes at 375F Makes: 12 servings
- Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 15×10 inch baking pan. For filling, in a bowl stir together apples, dried cherries, granulated sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
- On a lightly floured surface, unfold one sheet of pastry. Roll pastry into a 16×10 inch rectangle. Transfer to the prepared baking pan. Spread filling over pastry to within 1 inch of edges.
- Unfold the remaining sheet of pastry; roll into a 16×10 inch rectangle. Place pastry on top of filling. Moisten edges of bottom pastry with milk. Fold bottom pastry over top pastry; gently press edges to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut slits in pastry. Brush lightly with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until filling is bubble and pastry is puffed and golden. If needed to prevent overbrowning, cover pie loosely with foil the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking.
- For icing, stir together powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Stir in enough milk to reach drizzling consistency. Drizzle icing over warm pie. Cool on a wire rack.
Summit House 