Apple Cranberry Pie- from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

I'm kinda lazy when I make pie, but they still turn out terrific. It may not look perfect, but I prefer this rustic look. For this Apple Cranberry Pie, I made the pie crust recipe, halved it, and rolled out the bottom crust nicely, put it in the pan and in the freezer. For the top, I just sprinkled the other half of the pie crust crumbling it on top, to cobble together a top crust, flattening the pieces with my palm and then laying them on if they were bigger pieces. Works great, and saved me from overworking the dough to get it to roll out perfectly. This was a delicious fruit pie. (I also like rolling out the entire pie crust in a super large circle and then centering it in the pan for the bottom crust, filling it, and then wrapping it up over the top for the top crust).

• For the Pie Crust:
• 1 1/2 cups (7.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour (see note)
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  2 teaspoons granulated sugar
•  10 tablespoons (5 ounces) butter, frozen
•  1/2 cup sour cream (not lowfat or light), plus an additional tablespoon or three if needed

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, lightly whisk together the flour, salt and sugar.
2. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the butter into the dry ingredients.
3. With a fork, toss the butter and flour mixture until the butter pieces are all evenly coated with flour. Don't break down the butter pieces in this step, just lightly toss until they are coated with flour.
4. Spoon the sour cream into the bowl. Using the same fork, mix the sour cream into the butter/flour mixture by pressing the fork down into the sour cream in order to mash the large clumps of sour cream into the flour and butter. A commenter suggested using a pastry blender which will help incorporate the sour cream a bit better. The sour cream won't mix in like a traditional pie crust with ice water. But take care not to overwork the dough trying to get the sour cream mixed in - if the butter pieces get too small and overprocessed, the crust will be tough.
5. After a few turns with the fork, it is easiest to use your hands to pull the dough together. It will look a bit shaggy but as you press it together (quickly and firmly so the the butter pieces don't melt), it should start to form a cohesive ball.
6. If it still seems overly dry, add a teaspoon or so of sour cream at a time until it comes together.
7. It's ok if there are still a few dry spots or cracks in the dough. The mixture should not be overly wet or sticky. At the same time, it shouldn't be falling apart either. It should hold together when pressed (see the pictures below). Many of you have had to add quite a bit more sour cream. That's ok as long as the crust isn't overly saturated (then it will be dense and gummy). Much of that depends on how you measure flour - if you pack the flour into your measuring cup, you'll obviously need more sour cream (try to measure the flour with a light hand).
8. At this point the dough can be rolled out on a lightly floured counter or it can also be pressed into a flat disc and wrapped in plastic to be refrigerated for 1-2 days or frozen for up to a month.
9. To roll out, lightly flour your countertop and using firm, even strokes, roll from the center outward, turning the dough a quarter turn every few strokes. The less you mess with the dough the better - even rolling - so try not to overwork it. Roll it out to a thin crust as quickly as possible.
10. Roll the dough over the rolling pin and unroll it onto the pie plate. Gently lift up the edges of the pie crust and settle it into the bottom of the pie plate without pressing or smushing.
11. Trim the edges to within 1/4-inch. Fold the short overhang underneath the top edge of the pie plate and crimp all the way around.
12. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before using. To blind bake (prebake the pie crust), line the refrigerated crust with foil and fill with dry beans or pie weights. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Gently remove the foil and beans/weights and return to the oven to bake for another 10-12 minutes until nicely golden.

NOTES

Doubling: this recipe can be easily doubled for a double crust pie.

• For the Pie:
• 4-5 medium apples (about 1.75 pounds; I use Honeycrisp), peeled, cored and sliced 1/8-inch thick (about 5-6 cups total)
•  2 tablespoons lemon juice
•  1 teaspoon almond extract
•  Pinch salt
•  1 1/2 to 2 cups (6 to 8 ounces) fresh cranberries

FILLING:

•  1/2 cup (8 tablespoons, 4 ounces) butter
•  1/2 cup (2.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
•  2 tablespoons water
•  3/4 cup (5.5 ounces) granulated sugar
•  1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) light brown sugar

EGG WASH:

•  1 large egg
•  1 tablespoon water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place an oven rack in the middle or lower middle position of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with foil and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with the lemon juice, almond extract and salt. Add the cranberries and toss to combine.
3. In a 10- or 12-inch skillet or small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and whisk constantly until smooth and well-combined. Add the water, granulated sugar and brown sugar and cook at a simmer, whisking or stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes.
4. Immediately pour the mixture over the apples and cranberries. Toss to combine. The sauce mixture may clump up a bit but it will thin out the more it is stirred together (or the longer it sits). It doesn't have to be perfect.
5. Roll out bottom crust and place evenly in pie plate (don't stretch or pull it, just lift and tuck into the pie plate). Leave a 1- to 2-inch border all the way around.
6. Scrape the apple/cranberry filling evenly into the pie plate (get all of the caramel mixture!) - try to get the apples in even layers instead of piled in at wonky angles. It will be piled pretty high; that's ok as it will cook down in the oven.
7. Roll out the top crust and place it over the filling. Trim the top crust evenly with the bottom crust (leaving about 1/2-inch overhang all the way around). Fold the bottom crust up and over evenly with edge of pie plate and press/pinch to seal. Flute the edges of the pie crust.
8. Cut four slits with a sharp paring knife in the top crust.
9. For the egg wash, whisk together the egg and water and brush a thin layer over the top and edges of the crust.
10. Place the pie on the foil-lined baking sheet (important! the filling may bubble over a bit) and bake for 65-75 minutes until the crust is golden and filling is bubbling (tent the top of the pie with foil if it is browning too much partway through baking). If you are using a glass pie plate, the bottom crust should be lightly browned.
11. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool completely, 4-5 hours (even longer is better). This is important so the pie isn't soupy. If you like warm pie, individual pieces can be warmed in the microwave or the pie can be served warm, the filling just might be a little less set.

NOTES

Apples: I almost always Honeycrisp apples in this pie, but you could use a different variety or a combination. Make sure to choose crisp apples that don't turn to mush when baking.