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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Apple Cider Pie

I have a scar tissue on the tip of my middle finger on my left hand.  It's been there for about eleven or twelve years.  You know what it makes me think of each and every time I see it?  Apple Pie.  Well, apple pie and Parmesan cheese, to be precise.  Yeah.  I sliced off the tip of that finger on a box grater...the part on one of the thinner sides that has three long, horizontal slicers.  I had an Apple Crumb Pie earlier that day.  It was about 10 o'clock p.m. or so and I had the urge for a slice.  And you see, a slice of apple pie just isn't the same without some (okay, a lot) of Parmesan shards to eat with it.  That pungent saltiness is the perfect accompaniment to the sweet, warm fruit blanketed by a cinnamon crumb.  So anyway, don't ask me why I like to do things the hard way.  I could have very simply shaved some off with a vegetable peeler, but since I like them a big thicker with my pie, I decided to use the box grater.  Somehow my hand slipped and I sliced the tip of my middle finger off instead.  And I'm not talking a sliver, I'm talking the tip!  I couldn't get it to stop bleeding for the life of me.  Only my oldest (who was a wee man of one or two at the time) and I were there, so I called a couple of friends to come over.  Jen stayed with the little man and Ben drove me to the emergency room.  The tip of the finger is an awkward place to try to stop bleeding.  Eventually, all they did was put a little spot of this foam-like sheet on the open skin.  It sort of expands and soaks up any further bleeding.  You just leave it there until it falls off...which is when you're skin grows back.  When all was said and done, he drove me back to the house and we all had a slice of apple pie.  With Parm.  I still have that same box grater.  And I also have matching scar tissue on the top of my left hand ring finger.  A story for another day...

When I saw this recipe for Apple Cider Pie, I knew without question that I'd be making it soon.  The already fabulous taste of cinnamon and apples is accelerated about ten notches with the addition of a concentrated apple cider syrup.   It's an apple pie-lover's version of paradise on a plate.  Especially when served with Parmesan shards.  Minus fingertip.
Apple Cider Pie
adapted from Sweet Auburn Desserts
yield: 1 pie (~8-10 svgs.)


2 c. apple cider
6 c. (6-8) apples, peeled, cored, & sliced
1 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
⅔ c. sugar
2 Tbs. flour
½ tsp. ground cinnamon

to finish:
1 oz. butter, melted
1 Tbs. sugar

Prepare the double crust pastry and after chilling, pull out one disk.  On a lightly floured surface, roll it large enough to fit in to a 9" pie plate.  Trim edges, leaving a half an inch or so of overhang.  Put in fridge until ready to use.

Bring apple cider to a boil over high heat.  Cook until it has reduced by half (leaving you about 1 cup), 30-45 minutes.  Set aside and cool completely.

Preheat oven to 375° F.  Combine sugar, flour and cinnamon until well combined.  Toss apples and lemon juice together, then sprinkle dry mixture over them and toss to coat.  Remove pie shell from fridge and pile the apple mixture into it, scraping everything out of the bowl.  Pour the cooled apple cider reduction over everything.  Roll out remaining disk of pie dough to about an eighth inch thickness.  Gently set on top of pie and tuck overhang under bottom crust.  Crimp edges to seal.  Cut a couple of slits in the top of the crust and then brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

Slide into preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until golden.  Cool on a wire rack.
Serve...preferably with fat Parmesan shards for ultimate enjoyment.

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Would you like to comment?

  1. Holy moley what a story!! I have many cooking scars as well, lol. I have never had apple pie with Parm, sounds like a really great combo.

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  2. I have heard of cheddar with apple pie but never Parmesan! Darn! I ate our last piece of apple last night - I would of been all over that combo. And ouch! I bet you think of that every time apple pie comes to mind. It looks utterly delectable!

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  3. I have to admit I have never tried apple pie/parm but the idea really makes sense.  Sorry about your finger, man my finger is tingling just thinking of the box grater.  ouch!!

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  4. I don't know...it wasn't a cut...it was a whole slice of fingertip gone....

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  5. Super glue would have been cheaper and probably would have worked! 

    I've never had cheese on apple pie but I've heard of it, totally must try!

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  6. delicious looking pie
    apple pie is a favourite pie to have for this season

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  7. Oh the joys and pains of cooking!  But this pie looks delicious, as always, and your words make me smile, yet again. I hope you have a blessed week and a wonderful season of joy and food and fun. 

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  8. I lost a bit of my thumb to a fennel bulb... GREG

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  9. Mmmm...yes, I do like cheddar with mine, as well. I just have a "thing" for the Parm ;D

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  10. This pie looks wonderful.  And your china is so, so pretty!

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  11. Ouch! I love a sharp cheddar with my apple pie - something leftover from my growing up in New England!

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  12. josé manuel martín fernándezDecember 22, 2011 at 9:34 AM

    Interesante preparación

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  13. I get squeamish thinking about it! I've got a long white scar and I get reminded of cold butter and the Democratic Presidential Primary Debate.... What a lovely pie this is - moist and flavorful.

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  14. Owwwwww!  Left hand curling up in sympathy pains.  I have a lot of scars too but I don't think any of them remind me of food, ha ha.  

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  15. I understand your hesitation.  This is a picture of the pie as it sits right now...3½ days after it came out of the oven. (click pic to see it better) You can see some liquid has gathered in the bottom of the tin.  It's mostly juices that have seeped out over this many days.  However, there was a little bit when I first cut it, as well.  Oddly enough, the crust doesn't seem soggy.  Although I like it at room temperature, I prefer it heated up for a few seconds...and even then, I can still feel the "bite" of the crust.  When I boiled my cider down in the syrupy reduction, I probably wound up with a bit less than 1 cup...closer to ¾, just because it happened pretty quickly.  I poured it all in.  I think if you started with the same amount, and just kept reducing- even down to that quarter cup- you would get that awesome intensity.  Alternately, maybe throw a bit of cornstarch into the dry mix before tossing with the apples.   Either way, let me know how it turns out! =)

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  16. Amazing. I've just boiled down some cider because apple pie is on the menu for dinner, but I am not brave enough to do a full cup! I'll be using 1/4 cup.

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  17. This looks really really really really good.  I can tell just from looking--- that crust and the sliced apples look so tender.  I never thought of reducing cider to intensify the flavor, I'm filing that one away.
    I had to skim over your finger cutting story, that kind of stuff makes me queasy!  I was never a good emergency room mom.

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  18. Pie looks absolutely divine..

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  19. I worried about that, too...but no.  It wasn't soggy at all.

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  20. Apple cider pie sounds out of this world and your crust looks magnificent.  Never done Parmesan with apple pie before.  Will have to try that since I always have Parm on hand. 

    I sliced the tip of my finger off on my mandoline awhile back.  Always reminds me of zucchini.  But that's nothing when compared to the burn marks on my wrists from getting burnt on the oven racks.  You'd think I'd learn to wear an oven mitt by now. LOL! 

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  21. I love the idea of the cider concentrate, but an extra cup of liquid sounds like an enormous amount to add to the pie - isn't it soggy?

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