Recipe: Stephanie Shaiken’s Classic Apple Pie

Stephanie’s Classic Apple Pie not only earned her a First Place Ribbon in the Fruit category at the Third Annual Good Food Pie Contest, it also won BEST IN SHOW. Stephanie sells her pies under the name Crust by Stephanie Jayne. Keep reading for her story and recipe…

This apple pie means more to me than any pie probably should. I started working with this recipe over two years ago while I was in law school, for the most part to avoid studying for exams. I took the pie to a party and someone told me it was simply the best pie they had ever eaten and why was I wasting my time with law. Well that planted the seed, a few months later I left law school, went to pastry school, interned in Paris and worked in the industry for a little while. All the time my passion was pie and I was tweaking my apple pie recipe. Last November I started Crust, my all pie company here in Los Angeles. I could not be happier and this is the pie that started it all, so it was no question that this was the pie I would enter in the contest. I am beyond grateful for this win as it only reaffirmed the path I chose two years ago. Thank you to all the judges and Evan! Please enjoy the recipe!

Classic Apple Pie

By: Crust by Stephanie Jayne

Pie Crust

Ingredients:

3 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 heaping teaspoon Kosher Salt

1 Tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon Sugar

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter ( 1 and 1/2 stick )

3/4 cup cold vegetable shortening

about 3/4 cup cold water

Method:

Measure Flour, Salt, and Sugar into a large bowl and whisk together. Cut cold butter in to small cubes and add with shortening to flour. Rub the butter and shortening into the dough with hands until you see chunks about the size of walnut halves. Slowly add cold water and fold in until dough comes together.

Flour a surface or wax paper and roll dough out into 2 large circles, about ten inches in diameter. Refrigerate dough until cold. If keeping overnight or longer freeze.

Filling

Ingredients:

4 Granny Smith Apples

3 Gala Apples

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1tsp Cinnamon

Juice of half lemon

Pinch of salt

2 heaping Tablespoons of corn starch

3 Tablespoons cold water

Method:

Peel and slice apples into 1/4 in. thick slices. Add water to cornstarch and stir and set aside. In a large pan, melt 2TBSP butter with sugars and spices. Add Apple slices and cook until “al dente.” Add cornstarch and water mixture on high heat and cook until thickens. Remove from heat and stir in 1TBSP butter. Spread out on a sheet pan to cool.

Pie Assembly:

Line pie tin with one of the dough circles. Fill with apple mixture. Beat an egg and wash the rim with the egg wash. Lay second dough circle on top and press down edges and trim excess dough. Crimp or pinch dough as you like. Put pie in refrigerator or freezer until very cold. Wash with egg, cut vents, and sprinkle with sugar

Baking:

400 Degree oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Check often.