Apple Pie with Cream Cheese Lattice-Topped Crust

Are you a fan of pie or cake? I’m more of a French Fry girl myself :) but if I’m choosing between cake or pie, I prefer cake. My husband however is most definitely a pie guy.

I found this oh so cute Chantal apple-shaped ceramic baking dish at HomeGoods a couple of weeks ago, the perfect excuse for baking him an apple pie, not that he cares what shape his pie is in . . . he only cares that it’s served with ice cream.

I used my favorite cream cheese pastry recipe for a lattice-topped crust, quick and easy to pulse together in the food processor and chill in the refrigerator.

 You can make it a couple of days in advance and then pull out to warm up 20 minutes when ready to roll out and bake your pie.

Apple Pie with Cream Cheese Lattice-Topped Crust,

recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma

My ceramic apple dish is approximately 10 x 12 and 2 inches deep, so it’s ideal for a deep dish apple pie recipe. Adjust your filling and apples for a standard size 9-inch pie pan.

Cream Cheese Pie Crust

2 cups flour

½ tsp. salt

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter or margarine

Pulse all ingredients together in food processor to combine. (If you don’t have a food processor, mix flour and salt in large bowl. Cut in cream cheese and butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.)  Divide dough into two equal portions and flatten into disks. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours until firm. Roll out one portion on lightly floured surface to 12-inch circle. Gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim the edges flush with the rim of the dish. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  With remaining portion, roll out to circle to width of pie pan and then cut 10 strips of dough in 1 inch wide, (quick and easy with a pizza wheel). Using a paring knife or leaf-shaped piecrust cutter, cut out leaf shapes from the remaining dough. Refrigerate the lattice strips and leaf cutouts until ready to use.

Ingredients Pie Fillling

5 lb. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

2 Tbs. cornstarch

2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

**************

2 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 egg white, beaten with 1 tsp. water

2 tsp. granulated sugar

***************

To make the filling:

In a large Dutch oven, stir together the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cornstarch. Set over medium heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just tender but not mushy, about 15 – 20 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid has thickened and become glossy,  3- 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven, place a baking sheet on the rack and preheat the oven to 375°F.

Let the pie shell, lattice strips and leaf cutouts stand at room temperature for 5 minutes.Transfer the apple filling to the pie shell and scatter the butter pieces on top.

To create the lattice, lay 5 strips of dough spaced evenly apart on top of the pie filling. Fold back every other strip halfway and lay down a strip perpendicular across the unfolded strips. Repeat to place 5 strips of dough evenly across the top, folding back the alternate strips each time. Pinch the lattice strips onto the dough on the rim of the pie dish to make sure they bake together. Brush the underside of the leaf cutouts with egg wash and gently press them onto the piecrust as desired.

Brush the entire top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.

Place the pie dish on the preheated baking sheet. Bake until the crust is crisp and golden brown, about 1 hour. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 1 1/2 hours before serving. Serves 8 – 10.

You can find a printable recipe, here.

If you’re in the mood for a sweet and savory hand pie, help yourself to Apple, Gorgonzola, and Thyme Pies.

Or and an easy Apple and Honey Galette with Brie and Pomegranate Seeds.

What do you prefer. . .pie, cake or French Fries?  :)

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

 Metamorphosis Monday, The Scoop,

 Inspire Me Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesdays,

 Home Sweet Home,

 Foodie Friday and Everything Else Link Party

Share Your Style