Apple Pie with Cream Cheese Crust

Ever since my first success with dough, I've been itching to place my hands on a second. I have my eyes on some pie recipes for awhile and now is time to put my skill to test.

One reason I chose this recipe out of thousands other: it uses cream cheese for the pie crust and I happened to have extra from the Cream Cheese Dip with Tomato and Basil. It is also a little bit more tedious than a basic pie crust would be; it satisfies my need for challenge. However, 1/2 way through the dough, I cursed my stubborn need: should have stick with basic - The consistency of the dough wasn't the same as the recipe describes. Nevertheless I marched on.

Then came the real challenge: waiting time. It requires at least another 3 hours from preparing the filling to pulling the pie out from the oven. You know that little voice coming from nowhere inside of you? I heard it many times: "Uh uuuh" And I stubbornly ignored it. Only while I was waiting for the last part of chilling - after the assembling, before baking - that I realized I didn't add butter to boiling the juice. "UH UUUHHHH". Big time. It really was no turning back at this point.

Tick Tock Tick Tock.... it was excruciating to wait when you knew something had gone awry. Anyhow I survived the 50 minutes baking time, AND another 120 minutes of cooling - you want to make sure it cools completely before cutting it.

Verdict: It passed! I wouldn't have thought otherwise if I didn't knew about the missing butter. Neither did Adrian not my neighbors (they still don't know). Now, I'm curious to find out how different it would be if I had not forgotten the butter....

Ingredients:
Cream Cheese Pie Crust
(makes two 9" pie crusts)

• 12 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 41/2 oz cream cheese
• 2 Tbsp ice water
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1. Place a medium sized bowl in the freezer to chill.
2. Place flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Cut in the cream cheese until the mixture becomes a coarse meal.
   
3. Spoon the mixture and the cold cubed butter into a ziploc bag. Expel air, seal and using a rolling pin flatten the butter into thin flakes. Once done put the bag of flour mixture into the freezer till firm. About 10 minutes.
4. Transfer flour mixture to chilled bowl. Sprinkle with ice water and vinegar. Toss to mix.
   
5. Divide dough into 2 and put each portion into separate ziploc bags. Knead until the dough holds together and is slightly stretchy when pulled.
6. Wrap and flatten into discs. Refrigerate overnight or at least 45 minutes.

The Apple Pie Filling

• 6 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4" thick
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup castor sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
  

1. Before making the pie filling, roll out one half of the pastry and line a pie pan. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
2. Macerate apples with lemon juice, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt for between 30 minutes to 3 hours. Then transfer to a colander and collect the juices.
3. Boil down the juice to between 1/2 and 1/3 cup with the butter.
4. Toss the apples and the cornstarch until there are no more traces of the cornstarch. Pour boiled juice over apples.
5. Roll out top crust ready to cover the pie. Fill the lined pie pan with the apple pie filling, brush edges with a little egg yolk and then cover with the top sheet of pastry. Trim the edges, crimp the edges, make 3 slashes on the top pastry. Brush the top with egg white. Refrigerate 1 hour.
   
6. Bake at 200C for 45 - 55 minutes. Let cool before serving.