We had planned on having Phoebe and Nancy over for dinner last night. It’s our Friday ritual – we rotate Friday dinners at each other’s homes. We have the same cleaning lady – the fabulous Irma – every other Friday. I’m banned from the kitchen for 24 hours after Irma cleans – and it gives all of us a respite from cooking at least one night a week.
Unfortunately, they didn’t come over last night – Nancy has caught the flu. Actual-Diagnosed-by-the-Doctor-Influenza-Type-A. Ugh and Double Ugh!
Prior to their cancelling, Victor had decided to make dessert – a pie! We pie dough in the ‘fridge I had made on Sunday for a pumpkin pie – we finally had our day after Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner – and apples just begging to be cut up. We usually do double-crust apple pies, but there was only the one. Victor decided on a Cast-Iron Skillet Apple Crumb Pie – a recipe he saw on Food 52.
Can we say YUMMY, boys and girls?!?
It ticked all the boxes – and needed nothing more.
Cast-Iron Skillet Apple Crumb Pie
For the Crust
- 315 g all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (2 1/2 cups)
- 4 g kosher salt (3/4 tsp)
- 227 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into ~1/2-inch cubes (16 Tbsp / 2 sticks)
- 60–120 g ice water (4–8 Tbsp)
For the Filling
- 900–1,000 g apples, peeled/cored/sliced (about 6 medium apples; mix of tart & sweet)
- 16 g all-purpose flour (2 Tbsp)
- 2.5 g ground cinnamon (1 tsp)
- 30 g lemon juice + zest of 1/2 lemon
- 165 g packed light brown sugar (3/4 cup)
- 1 g kosher salt (pinch)
For the Crumb Topping
- 125 g all-purpose flour (1 cup)
- 100 g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
- 55 g light brown sugar (1/4 cup, packed)
- 5 g ground cinnamon (2 tsp)
- 3 g kosher salt (1/2 tsp)
- 85 g unsalted butter, chilled, cut into ~1/2-inch cubes (6 Tbsp)
Make the Crust:
In a large bowl, mix the the flour and salt. I used a food processor to make my dough, but here are their instructions: Add the butter and, working quickly with either your hands, two knives, or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dough until the pieces are roughly the size of peas. Some may be bigger—this will make your dough nice and flaky as it bakes. With a wooden spoon, stir in the ice water a tablespoon or two at a time, just until the mixture comes together into a workable dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press into a round. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare the pie filling and topping.
Make the Filling:
Rinse, peel, and core the apples. Cut into slices about ¼ inch wide and transfer to a large bowl. Add the flour, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, brown sugar, and salt and mix to combine.
Make the Topping:
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the butter and work into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Bake the Pie:
Heat the oven to 400°F. On a well floured surface, roll the crust to about ⅛ inch thick. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. Unroll and lightly press into the edges. Trim the edges so they are flush with rim of the skillet.
Pour the apple filling into the crust. Top with the crumb topping, mounding in the middle and lightly packing it down over the apples.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for 40 to 45 minutes more, until the apples are tender when pierced with a knife. If the topping is browning too quickly, cover the pie with foil.
Let cool until warm or room temperature.