Makes One 9” Deep Dish Pie
1 Recipe Pate Sucre
5 Large Granny Smith Apples, Peeled, Cored and Sliced ¼” Thick
3 Large Bartlett Pears, Ripe But Not Soft, Peeled, Cored and Sliced ¼” Thick
1 Cup Dried Cranberries (Optional)
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
¼ Cup All-Purpose Flour
¼ Cup Corn Starch
1 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg
2 Teaspoons Vitamin C Powder (To Keep Apples and Pears from Turning Color)
2 Tablespoons Cold Unsalted Butter Cut into Small Pieces
1 Large Egg Beaten with 1 Tablespoon Cold Water for Egg Wash
Coarse Sanding Sugar for Pie Top
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
In a large bowl combine the apples, pears, optional dried cranberries, sugar, flour, cornstarch, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and Vitamin C powder. Toss until well combined. Set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of pate sucre into a 11” to 12” circle approximately 1/8” thick. When rolling, add a little flour to the top of the pastry so the rolling pin won’t stick. To make an evenly round circle when rolling make a quarter turn with the pastry. In other words, give a few rolls over the pastry, lift the pastry off of the rolling surface and turn it to the right 90 degrees. Do that three times while rolling and you will have a perfect circle. Gently roll the pastry up onto the rolling pin and lift over the top of a 9” deep-dish pie dish and roll out. Gently press into the pie dish. You should have about a 1” overhang.
Place the apple-pear pie mixture into the pastry-lined dish, evenly distributing the apples and pears. This will allow for more even cooking. Pour any juices that may be in the bottom of the bowl over the top of the apple-pear mixture. Dot the apple-pear mixture with the 2 tablespoons of cold butter pieces. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash.
Roll out the second disk of pastry in the same manner as the first. Place the rolled pastry over the apples. Seal the edges by trimming with a scissor. Press the edges decoratively with your thumb and forefinger.
With a sharp thin knife make a whole in the top of the pie to let out the steam while it cooks. You don’t want it to explode in the oven – and believe me, it will if you don’t vent the pie. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sanding sugar.
Place the pie on a sheet pan with holes (such as a pizza pan) lined with parchment paper. Bake the pie for 15 minutes and turn down the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake the pie for 1 hour more or until the top is nicely browned and the juices are bubbling. You will see some of the juice leek out of the pie on the side. To be sure the apples and pears are cooked, insert a skewer into the vent at the top of the pie. There should be no resistance when the skewer goes through the apples.
If the pie is not cooked through and the crust is beginning to get too brown, loosely cover the pie with aluminum foil by making a tent. You do not want to crush the pie or cover the vent tightly.
Remove from the oven to a wire cooling rack and let the pie cool completely before serving. I like to serve this pie with Caramel Sauce and Cinnamon Ice Cream or Gelato.
Apple-Pear Pie Made With Love