Apple Pie with Gruyere Crust

Pastry

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter

• 6 oz gruyere, grated

• ice water

Filling

• 3 pounds, or 8 cups, of apples

• 1/2 cup sugar

• juice of one lemon, about 1 tablespoon

• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

• 5 teaspoons of cornstarch

Assembly

• Prepared pastry dough

• Filling

• 1 egg, beaten

Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two butter knives, cut in the butter until the largest pieces of butter are pea sized. Mix in the grated gruyere.

Sprinkle ice water over the flour in increments of 1 tablespoon and toss with a fork after each addition. You’ve added enough water when the dough clumps together when squeezed in your palm. Gather the dough into two balls, one slightly larger than the other, and wrap separately. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Peel and core, and slice the apples in to quarters. Slice each quarter thinly, about 3-4 slices per quarter. Place in a large bowl and mix with the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and cornstarch, coating evenly.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll the larger piece of pastry dough into a disk to fit the bottom of a 9-10 inch pie dish with about an inch overhanging the edge of the pie dish. Fold the pastry in half, lift off the table, and place into the pie dish. Unfold the pastry and gently fit it to the pie dish, leaving the dough to overhang the edge.

Pile the apples into the prepared pie dish. If the leftover juice seems too runny, add more cornstarch before scraping on top of the apples.

Roll the smaller piece of dough to fit on top of the apples. There should be enough overhang to meet up with the bottom crust. Place smaller piece of dough on top. Gently lift a corner of the top pie crust and brush the bottom with the beaten egg, working your way all around the pie crust. Seal the two crusts together. Cut off any excess overhanging crust, and reroll to make decorative leaves or bake on the side.

Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg. Cut 4 slits into the top of the pie crust to allow steam to escape. Place the pie on a cookie sheet to catch any drips. Reduce the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake until you can see the filling bubbling up between the slits in the crust, about 50 minutes to an hour.

Cool on a wire rack, serving while still warm.

Do not throw away any excess pie crust. You can bake them on side to make cheesy crackers. Just keep an eye on them as they cook/burn faster than the pie itself.