Crispy and buttery pie crust holding plenty of sweet & sour cinnamon-tossed apples, all of it covered under a light, pillowy meringue. Delicious apple pie prepared in a traditional way served year-round but most often during apple harvest season. Mom usually makes this pie at least once a week when we are harvesting apples in the fall from all the apple trees in our garden. As a kid, I sometimes ate this pie in a funny way – first scooped out all the meringue, then gobbled apple filling in no time and last enjoyed a crispy crust on a bottom with a glass of milk. Ah, yummy childhood memories ❤

Meringue covering the layer of apples will not only add to the texture but as well it will keep the filling moist and protected from drying out while baking in the oven. Sometimes we used to substitute apples with red currants and the result would be even more tart and less sweet (which I love). Make sure to whip the meringue until really stiff peaks so it holds its shape in the oven – the stiffer the meringue the easier to make beautiful uneven shapes and waves on top

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The flour of the preference for the pie crust is a fine pastry flour and I recommend sifting it into a bowl for extra aeration and to break the lumps. Do not forget to add a pinch of salt to balance the sweet taste. The lemon zest will add an extra flavor and taste and I like to add it to both crust & filling. Lastly, the amount of sugar added to the apple filling can be adjusted to your preference and the sweetness of apples. I find 50g of sugar added to the total amount of apples (700g) to be a perfect ratio for sweet & sour apple filling. If you are using sour green apples though, you might need to increase the amount of sugar. The best advice is simply to make sure to taste everything while preparing the pie. That way you can never go wrong 🙂

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INGREDIENTS

Pie Crust

200g Flour, fine

50g Powdered Sugar

110g Butter, unsalted & cold

1 Egg, whole

Zest from 1 Lemon

2g Salt

Apple Filling

650-700g Apples (net weight after peeled & core removed)

50g Sugar, brown (more or less sugar depending on sweetness of apples)

3g Cinnamon

Zest from 1 Lemon

Juice from 1 Lemon

Meringue

3 Egg Whites

30g Powdered Sugar

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METHOD

1. Start with a pie crust that should chill in the fridge for at least one hour before moving to roll. Into a medium-size bowl sift 200g of fine Flour. Add 50g of Powder Sugar, 2g of Salt, Zest from one Lemon and mix well. Make a hole in the middle, crack in 1 whole Egg and add 110g of chopped cold Butter. Work out the dough with your hands until smooth. Wrap the dough into a plastic wrap and place into the fridge for 1 hour

2. In the meantime, peel and core the Apples. Cut each apple into four pieces and then slice each quarter into thin slices. Repeat with all apples and then transfer them into a medium-size cooking pot. Add 50g of Sugar into the pot (more or less sugar depending on the sweetness of apples and your preference), 1 teaspoon/ 3g of Cinnamon, squeeze in Juice from 1 Lemon and add Zest from 1 Lemon. Mix everything well together so the apple slices are all coated in a sugar-cinnamon-zest mixture. Start cooking apples on low heat covered with a lid for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 15 minutes continue cooking apples uncovered for another 10-15 minutes or until soften. Once soft but still holding their shape take apples off the heat and let them cool down slightly

3. Take the dough out from the fridge & unwrap. Prepare a pie pan/ round springform, grease the bottom & sides with butter and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Roll out chilled dough on a well-floured work desk into the size of your pan covering the sides as well (pie crust should cover approximately 1 inch or 3 cm of sides). Carefully transfer the dough into a pan pressing it in the corners & edges of the pan. Using a fork, poke holes all over the bottom of the crust and bake at 350°F/180°C for 15 -20 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Check on your pie crust after 10 minutes of baking to deflate and let go of any air bubbles that might arise. When slightly pre-baked, spread cooled-down Apple Filling all over the pre-baked crust and bake for another 10 minutes

4. In the meantime, whisk the Meringue by combining 3 Egg Whites (at room temperature) with 30g of Powdered Sugar until stiff peaks. Spread meringue evenly everywhere on top of a pre-baked apple pie and bake for another 5-7 minutes or until golden on a surface. Make sure to watch the pie regularly at this point because meringue can turn golden brown very quickly and easily burn. Once baked and slightly cooled down, carefully remove the pie from the springform and transfer it to a cooling rack to cool for another one hour before slicing. The pie is delicious warm or cold

Dobrú chuť,
Lenka