Happy National Pie Day! Apple pie is an American classic, but for this special occasion we dress it up for winter with bright red cranberries and a bit of spicy crystallized ginger.
Apple-Ginger-Cranberry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream
2 rolled-out rounds of pie dough, each about 12 inches (30 cm) in
diameter and 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, chilled
4 lb. (2 kg) Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups (6 oz./185 g) cranberries
1/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) chopped crystallized ginger
3/4 cup (6 oz./185 g) sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 egg plus 1 tsp. water, lightly beaten
Vanilla ice cream for serving
Remove 1 dough round from the refrigerator. Transfer to a 9-inch (23-cm) deep-dish pie dish and gently press into the dish. Trim the edges flush with the rim. Reroll the dough scraps and cut out shapes using decorative pie cutters. Refrigerate the pie shell and cutouts for 30 minutes.
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C).
In a large bowl, toss together the apples, cranberries, crystallized ginger, the 3/4 cup (6 oz./185 g) sugar, the salt, the 3 Tbs. flour and the lemon juice.
Let the pie shell, cutouts and the remaining dough round stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Pour the apple filling into the pie shell and place the dough round over the filling. Trim the edges flush with the rim and press the top and bottom crusts together. Brush the underside of the cutouts with egg wash and arrange them on the pie. Brush the entire top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, about 1 hour, covering the edges with foil if they begin to brown too quickly. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before serving.
To serve, cut the pie into slices and top with vanilla ice cream. Serves 8.
Williams-Sonoma Test Kitchen
