APPLE PIE (in the apple)

Leia em PORTUGUÊS

Since it's Autumn in the northern hemisphere and apples are all around, and also because we were given 20kg of apples for Chuseok, I suddenly craved apple pie, the authentic, very simple one. No, I didn't need all those apples for that, we kept only a few and gave away the rest.

To make the authentic different, instead of lining a pan with pie dough, then filling with apples and then covering with more dough, I used the apple as an edible container. The result was quite interesting, I think. The inspiration came from Paper Plates and China.

I started with the pie dough (the recipe can be found by clicking the recipe link at the end of the post). I rolled the dough between two plastic sheets using chopsticks as guides for an even thickness. I put the sheet of dough on a cutting board and placed it in the fridge while working with the apples.

I washed a few apples and cut off a lid from each one. With the help of a small sharp knife and a small spoon I caved the apples forming bowls and set the chopped pulp aside. To avoid the apples from getting dark, I added a few drops of lemon juice.

After that, I peeled and diced the lids. Next time I'm cutting the lids thinner because, in addition to the carved pulp, they yielded more filling than the apple bowls could hold (I made one extra individual pie the traditional way, with a pie crust)

For each medium apple you will need: ***

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp all purpose flour

1/4 tsp powdered cinnamon 

Mix the ingredients and sprinkle over the reserved apple pulp. Toss with a spoon and fill the apple bowls. 

Remove the dough from the fridge and cut flowers with a cookie cutter. make some holes to release vapor while baking.

Carefully place a flower over each apple. Don't try to mold the dough, it will be firm and will break. The heat of the oven will take care of that ;)

Bake at 370°F (190°C) in a baking pan lined with parchment paper until they are tender and the dough is lightly golden (about 40 minutes).

Serve warm or cool, lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar.

SWEET PIE DOUGH

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup corn starch

1tbsp sugar

100g butter, cold

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Put all ingredients in the jar of a food processor and mix only until it forms a ball. If necessary, add a few drops of cold water. Don't over mix. If you want do do it manually, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the butter and rub the mixture with your hands until you have a crumbled texture. Add the egg and  mix until it comes together into a ball. If necessary, add a few drops of water. Do not over mix.

Obs: This dough recipe is enough to make lids for approximately 8 apples.

***UPDATE:

***Due to the difficulty with the Korean language, I'm not quite sure about the type of apple I used, there aren't many varieties here. However,  the type that mostly resembles the one I used and that kept its shape pretty well after baking is the Fuji Apple. I used THIS CHART to come to this conclusion. At the end of the page you will also find a chart with the best types of apples for each use.