No New York City-themed cookbook would be complete without a nod to the Big Apple. And no food is more American than apple pie. There isn’t a diner in New York City that doesn’t have an apple pie waiting to be served. This vegan Big Apple Pie from NYC Vegan by Michael Suchman and Ethan Ciment is a slightly modified version of Ethan’s grandmother’s recipe.
Big Apple Pie
No New York City-themed cookbook would be complete without a nod to the Big Apple. And no food is more American than apple pie. There isn’t a diner in New York City that doesn’t have an apple pie waiting to be served.
Servings 10 servings
Ingredients
Crust
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegan shortening
- 1/2 cup ice water, plus more as needed
- 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Filling:
- 5 large Honeycrisp apples, or any red apple you prefer, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2- inch pieces
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice, optional
Instructions
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In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the shortening using a fork (or use your fingers like I do) until it is evenly crumbled.
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Combine the ice water and apple cider vinegar in a glass. Drizzle a small amount over the flour mixture and mix well to moisten. Repeat this process in small increments, pouring more liquid and mixing, until the dough can be pressed into a soft ball. Divide the dough in half and form each half into ball. Flatten each ball into a disk and wrap the disks separately in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
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While the dough is chilling, place the apples in a large mixing bowl, add the lemon juice immediately, and mix well, as it helps to keep the apples from browning. Add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice (if using) and mix well until the apples are evenly coated.
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Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 10-inch pie pan. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out each disk on a lightly floured piece of wax paper or parchment paper to approximately 1/4-inch thick. Transfer one rolled-out piece of dough to the pie pan and press it in gently, making sure there are no air pockets beneath the dough. The dough should come up and slightly spill over the sides of the pan.
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Pour the apple mixture into the pie pan, pressing down gently to make sure it is level. Top the apples with the other piece of dough. Cut off any excess overhanging dough and pinch the corners of the crusts together.
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Using a fork, gently pierce the upper crust evenly across the surface to create ventilation holes. Bake for 50 minutes, until the top crust is golden brown. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
From NYC Vegan, copyright © 2017 by Michael Suchman and Ethan Ciment. Used by permission. Photo by Jackie Sobon.
