- Prep time 1 hour & 15 minutes
- Total time 3 hours & 30 minutes
- Portion size 12 servings
- Credits : Canadian Living Magazine: October 2022
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
Pecan Cream:
Apple Filling:
Method
Pie Crust
In large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Using pastry cutter or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In small bowl, combine egg yolk and 2 tbsp cold water. Using fork, stir egg mixture into dough until moistened. Mix with your fingers until dough starts to come together (add cold water, 1 tsp at a time, if necessary). Shape dough into disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Make-ahead: Can be refrigerated overnight or stored in resealable bag and frozen for up to 1 month.)
Roll out dough on lightly floured surface into 11-inch circle. Press dough into 9-inch pie pan with removable bottom. Trim excess pastry and fold edges under crust. Using fork, prick pastry all over. Place in freezer for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line crust with aluminum foil and fill with baking beads or dried beans. Bake in lower third of oven for 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Continue baking until crust is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.
Pecan Cream
Preheat oven to 360°F. In food processor, pulse pecans until finely chopped; set aside. In bowl, using electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter with sugar until mixture is pale and creamy (scrape down side of bowl, if necessary), about 3 minutes. Beat in reserved pecans, eggs, flour, cinnamon and salt. Spread pecan cream onto pie crust and smooth top with spatula. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.
Apple Filling
Meanwhile, in large saucepan, bring 1 cup water, the sugar and lemon juice to boil, stirring often, until sugar has dissolved. Remove pan from heat; let syrup cool.
Meanwhile, quarter then core apples (do not peel). Using sharp knife or mandolin, thinly slice apples (about 1/8-inch thick slices) and gradually add them to syrup (stir gently with your fingertips to coat slices well).
Preheat oven to 325°F. Gently spread Maple Apple Compote over cooled Pecan Cream. Arrange apple slices in concentric circles on compote, starting from the outer edge of crust and overlapping them (shake to remove excess syrup and pat lightly with paper towel, if necessary). To create heart of flower, line up 8 apple slices lengthwise on work surface and overlap ends slightly to form ribbon. Roll up ribbon of apples around itself, then place in centre of pie.
Bake until crust is golden brown and apples are tender-crisp (cover pie with foil if apples begin to brown), 45 minutes. Remove pie from oven and brush apples with melted jelly. Let cool before serving. (Make-ahead: Can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
Maple Apple Compote
In saucepan, combine 4 peeled, seeded and cubed McIntosh apples with 3 tbsp water and 1 tbsp each maple syrup and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, until apples are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. With handheld blender, purée mixture. (Make-ahead: Can be stored in airtight container and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.)
Makes about 1 cup.
Test kitchen tip
Coating the apple slices in syrup softens them so it’s easier to form the pretty petals on our pie.
