Apple Slab Pie Tart Recipes

APPLE SLAB TART

Steps:

• Pate Sucree Extra: Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. In a liquid-measuring cup, whisk together ice water and egg yolks. With machine running, add egg-yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky, about 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together; if it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a rectangle. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll out dough to a 17-by-14-inch rectangle. Using a paring knife, lightly trace a 1-inch border around perimeter of dough (this border will be folded up over the filling to form the tart crust, leaving a 15-by-12-inch rectangle for the filling). Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Filling: Combine McIntosh apples, 2 pounds red apples, lemon juice, and 1 1/2 cups water in a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are completely soft, about 40 minutes. To remove skins, use chopsticks, or pass apples through a medium-mesh sieve or a food mill fitted with the fine disk. Applesauce can be stored in refrigerator up to 1 week, or in freezer up to 3 months.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 2 cups applesauce evenly over chilled dough, staying within 1-inch borders (reserve remaining applesauce for another use).
• Halve, core, and thinly slice crosswise remaining 3 to 4 red apples with a mandolin or a very sharp knife, reserving scraps. Shingle 6 slices into a 3-inch square on top of filling in one corner of tart. Brush with lemon juice to keep from browning. Repeat process with remaining apple slices, placing as closely as possible to the previous 3-inch square of apples and alternating the direction of the shingling in a grid pattern (you should have 4 rows of 5).
• Fold over 1-inch border of dough to create crust. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar. Bake, rotating halfway through, until crust is deep golden brown all over, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let cool completely.
• Glaze: In a medium saucepan, cook reserved apple scraps, 1/2 cup water, sugar, apple brandy, quince paste, and salt over low heat until very soft. Whisk in butter, then strain mixture through a mesh sieve. Brush apples on tart with glaze to coat; let dry. Tart is best served at room temperature.

APPLE SLAB PIE

Steps:

• To make the crust: Measure the flour into a large, wide bowl. Whisk in the sugar and salt. Toss in the butter cubes and coat them all with the flour. Using your first 3 fingers of both hands, mash up the butter into smaller pieces, just bigger than the size of peas. You can also do this with two knives or a strong pastry blender. I prefer using my fingers.
• Once the mixture looks sort of uniform, slightly crumbly, and the butter is broken up, stir in ½ cup of water with a rubber spatula until the water is absorbed and the dough starts to come together. If the dough is still dry and crumbly, add up to the remaining ¼ cup of water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just starts to come together. Bring the dough together with your hands until it forms a soft and almost loose ball. Divide the pie dough into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. You'll need the larger piece for the bottom crust. Transfer one piece to a sheet of plastic wrap and mold it into a rectangular shape, about 1-inch thick. Use the plastic wrap to help bring the dough together, if needed. Repeat with the remaining dough. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before using.
• To make the filling: In a very large bowl, toss the apple chunks with the lemon juice. Mix the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt together in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the sugar-spice mixture over the apples and toss them well to coat; set aside.
• To assemble the slab pie: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line the bottom of a 10×15×1-inch baking sheet or similarly sized jelly roll pan with a piece of parchment paper. If your pan is a little smaller than this (as mine was), don't worry - this recipe will still work fine; you'll just have a little extra dough leftover.
• Roll out the larger piece of dough on a well-floured surface with a rolling pin into a 18x13-inch rectangle. Transfer the piece to the pan and drape the edges of the dough over the sides of the pan while only gently pushing the dough down into the inside and corners of the pan. Slip the pan into the fridge or freezer while you roll out the second piece of dough into a 16x11-inch rectangle (you want to keep the dough in the pan as cold as possible).
• Remove the pan from the fridge/freezer and pour the apples and the juices over the dough in the pan - it may seem like way too many apples, but they will cook down. Drape the second sheet of dough over the apples. Trim the dough to where both top and bottom edges hang about ¾-inch over the edge of the pan. Seal up the edges tightly with your fingers.
• Brush the top of the dough with the heavy cream or egg wash. Using a sharp knife, slice a whole bunch of 1-inch slits in the top of the dough to allow the steam to escape during baking. Place the whole sheet on a larger baking sheet - there will likely be spillage that you'll want to catch on the large pan rather than the bottom of your oven (trust me).
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top crust is a nice golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the holes in the crust. Cool the pan on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before cutting and serving (see note below).

CINNAMON-SWIRL APPLE SLAB PIE

Steps:

• On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll one disk of dough into a 12-by-17-inch rectangle. Transfer crust to a 10 1/2-by-15 1/4-inch rimmed baking sheet or jelly-roll pan and press into bottom edges and up sides. Fold overhang under and around edge. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine room-temperature butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll second disk of dough into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Evenly spread butter mixture over dough all the way to ends, then, starting at a long edge, tightly roll into a log. Transfer to a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with a rack in lower third and a foil-lined baking sheet on a rack below. In a large bowl, toss together apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, flour, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and vanilla. Fill piecrust with apple mixture and dot with cold butter.
• Cut dough log into 1/4-inch slices, rotating with each slice to keep slices round. (You'll need 63 slices total.) Arrange slices over apple mixture, slightly overlapping, in nine rows of seven. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Brush top of pie with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until top crust is just set, 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Slab pie tastes best the day it's made.

APPLE SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 15-by-10-by-1-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix the salt, 4 cups of the flour and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add 1 tablespoon of the water at a time to moisten it and mix, repeating until a dough starts to form. Knead the dough into a ball. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a rectangle. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Lightly flour a work surface and roll 1 piece of dough into a 19-by-13-inch rectangle. Place the dough on the prepared pan and ease it onto the pan and up the sides, making sure not to stretch the dough too much so it doesn't become too thin. Trim the leftover dough, leaving just enough to cover the sides of the pan. Fold the dough as desired on the edges.
• In a large bowl, combine the apple slices, cinnamon and remaining 1/3 cup flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Toss until the apples are coated. Arrange the apple mixture evenly on the dough.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the remaining piece of dough into a rectangle. With leaf-shaped cookie cutters, cut out dough leaves. Arrange the leaves on top of the apple mixture to cover the pie; it is okay to leave some space in between the leaves so you can see the apple filling. Brush the egg wash on top of the leaves.
• Bake until the apples are cooked through and the top crust is evenly golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

APPLE SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F. Remove 2 of the pie crusts from pouches. On lightly floured surface, unroll and stack crusts one on top of the other. Roll to 18x12-inch rectangle. Fit crust into 15x10x1-inch pan, pressing firmly into corners and sides, stretching dough slightly to fit, if necessary. Do not trim pie crust edges.
• In large bowl, stir apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and lemon juice until well mixed. Spoon apple mixture evenly into crust-lined pan.
• On lightly floured surface, unroll and stack remaining 2 pie crusts one on top of the other. Roll into 18x12-inch rectangle. Place on top of apples. Pinch edges of crusts together to seal, tucking extra pie crust under, if necessary. Flute or crimp edges. Cut slits in several places on top crust.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. If necessary, loosely cover pie with foil last 10 to 15 minutes of bake time, to prevent over browning. Cool at least 2 hours before serving. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.

APPLE SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°F. Remove pie crusts from pouches. On lightly floured surface, unroll and stack crusts one on top of the other. Roll to 17x12-inch rectangle. Fit crust into 15x10x1-inch pan, pressing into corners. Fold extra crust under, even with edges of pan.
• In small bowl, mix granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and lemon juice. Add apples, stirring to coat. Spoon apple mixture into crust-lined pan.
• Bake 33 to 38 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool in pan on cooling rack 45 minutes.
• In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and milk until well blended. Drizzle over pie. Let stand until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.