Here’s a pie we make every year in celebration of apple season in New England.  We picked the apples off the trees ourselves (eating a few along the way).

This is the first year I made the leaves, and since no one around here sells a leaf cutter or stamp, I used a pastry jagger to cut them and detailed the veins with a table knife.  This is one of my favorite pies because you can blind bake the crust, so it gets very crispy. 

The only notes I have for this are to try not to get any egg wash between the crust and the pan (this is easy to do when you’re attaching the leaves) because it makes it stick/hard to serve.

Great job Julie! How long did it take you to arrange the apples? The leaves are perfect.

Julie, i am always in love with this pie.  it is an excellent one, and yours look book perfect!

Thank you for sharing this, Julie. It is making me hungry for apple pie! Did you pre-cook the apple slices on the stove top before you arranged them in the pie shell? What kind of apples did you use? I always end up using Granny Smith and sometimes Jonagold because they are the easiest to find here in Southern California.

Your pie looks lovely,Julie and I would think quite time consuming to arrange all those apple slices and the leaves as well!

Great job Julie!  I’ve always cut out pastry leaves by hand…never even occured to me to buy a cutter or a stamp (shows what I know LOL)

Gorgeous!  I would line your pie plate with a sheet of parchment paper to help with the egg wash sticking.

Wow that is sooo pretty!!!  Definately would blow people away!

Gorgeous pie, Julie.  I made two Apple Crumb Pies at the weekend and the crust is baked blind as well.  It makes for a wonderfully crisp bottom crust even if the juices spill over.  I truly admire your skill at slicing the apples evenly - did you use a mandolin?

Annie

Thanks everyone for so many kind words!

Rozanne, the leaves took longer than the apples, I made three or four at a time, then popped the sheet I was working from back in the fridge before making more.  The surface of the leaves stays smoother when they’re still quite cold (at least if you’re making veins with a table knife…).  I don’t think arranging the apples took any longer than half an hour, which is also about how long it would take me to fuss with a top crust.  The apples cook down a little, so I really pack them in tightly.

Christine, I did not need to pre-cook the apples, they baked in the oven, covered loosely with vented foil after the first fifteen minutes.  This time I used Cortland apples, because that was the best baking apple the orchard had when we were there.  I want to try this some year with Ginger Golds (a cross between Granny Smith and Golden Delicious), but every time we get them, we eat them too fast and there are never enough for pie.  The Cortlands cook more quickly than Granny Smiths, a little less than the minimum time called for in the PPB.  I have made this pie several times with Granny Smiths, which are delicious, but need to be tasted for sugar.

Annie, I used a hand-crank device popular here in New England.  It takes about five seconds to peel, core and slice an apple, then you just cut it in half (or thirds if the apple is very large) and check for any missed spots.  Kids love to use these machines.  It is much faster than peeling and slicing by hand, and so well suited to making this pie.

I have to say, now that we’ve eaten some of this, it’s not hard to remove it from the pan.  Maybe that was just one spot, or the first piece being difficult to remove.  I like the parchment idea, Mrs. M.

Julie - that looks very pretty. I agree with Hector that it looks book perfect!

Great job Julie!  You arranged the apple slices perfectly!  I have the same kind of apple peeler - I find it works best with very round and symmetrically shaped apples.  Ginger golds are very good for eating… I look forward to hearing how you like baking with them.  Do you ever bake with Galas?  They make wonderful pies when sliced thickly… not sure how they would work sliced thinly.

Patrincia, I’ve tried Gala apples for apple pie (not Rose’s recipe), sliced thinly. They actually turn soggy and not as good as Golden Delicious or Granny Smith.

Jenn - 23 September 2009 04:12 PM

Patrincia, I’ve tried Gala apples for apple pie (not Rose’s recipe), sliced thinly. They actually turn soggy and not as good as Golden Delicious or Granny Smith.

I was afraid that might be the case.  They hold up well in larger chunks, but I suspected they might not do so well when sliced thinly.  Glad to know my instinct was correct.  Thanks for the report!

Julie, that pie is a true work of art. Beautifully done! I’ve been wanting to make that ever since the video was posted on the blog. Haven’t had an occasion yet. Might have to create one!

Thanks, Jenn, Patrincia and Carolita! Patrincia, I haven’t used Galas, but it’s good to know they work if kept thick.