Apple Pie with fluted Round Cut Outs

Also for Gwen. And because it feels like fall is just around the corner and stores are already putting our their fall decorations and Martha is talking about Halloween crafts.

Warning: this pie is labor intensive but it is so good that people will still be talking about it a year later.

from one of Martha Stewart's 2007 Thanksgiving shows (one of many)

For the crust:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup chilled unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into small pieces
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Combine everything except the water in a food processor and whiz for about 30 seconds. Slowly stream in water until dough comes together. Separate into 2 balls, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.

For the filling:

• 4 pounds Granny Smith apples
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (this really is a must)
  
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling (I used honey)

Rolling out the crust:

1. On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Trim edges flush with rim. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Roll remaining disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Using a 1 3/4-inch fluted round cutter, cut out about 70 rounds, rerolling scraps if necessary. Place rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. *I used a small star-shaped cutter because I couldn't find a fluted round one and I think it was all the prettier. Stars are more work than circles, fyi.

For the pie:

1. Peel and core apples. Thinly slice half the apples, and cut remaining apples into 1-inch pieces. *I just cut them all into small chunks. This pie is already a labor of love and I felt no need to make it more complicated.
2. Toss together apples, lemon zest and juice, sugars, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Place filling in piecrust, mounding it in the center. Dot with butter. To make egg wash, whisk together egg yolk and cream in a small bowl. Lightly brush edge of piecrust with egg wash.
3. Arrange dough rounds over filling, working in a spiral from the outside in to the center, overlapping them slightly. Lightly brush top of each round with egg wash as you work to help them adhere to one another.
4. Once the filling has been covered with rounds, lightly brush entire top of pie with egg wash.
5. Sprinkle top with sanding sugar. Refrigerate pie for 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in middle and lower positions. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on lower rack to catch any juices. Place pie on middle rack, and bake until crust begins to turn golden brown, about 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees, and bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour, 10 minutes more. Tent with foil if crust browns too quickly. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

*Both times I made this pie I used honey instead of sugar b/c my FIL is allergic to sucrose. If you want to make it with honey, taste as you go until you get the right amount of sweetness. You will end up with an enormous-looking pie but it will cook down a bit in the oven. Here's what mine looked like: