Double Crust Apple Pie

RECIPE COURTESY OF MICHAEL LOMONACO
Porter House New York
10 Columbus Circle
4th Floor
New York, NY 10019
212-823-9500

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2½ pounds firm, tart apples, preferably seasonal local specials like Macouns, Northern Spy, or Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and sliced into ¼-inch wedges.
½ cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon for dusting
¼ cup raisins
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground clove
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Basic Pie Dough (recipe follows)
1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water to make an egg wash

1. Put 3 tablespoons of the butter into a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan and melt it over medium heat. Add the apple wedges and sauté until slightly softened but holding their shape, 3 to 4 minutes. Add ¼ cup of the sugar and stir to combine. Add the raisins, cinnamon, and clove and stir.

2. In a bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir the mixture into the apple mixture and remove the pan from the heat. Let cool completely.

3. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

4. Fill an unbaked bottom crust with apple filling and dot the top with the remaining butter. Top with a rolled-out top crust. Cut ½-inch vents in a round-clock pattern into the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush the top lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

5. Put the pie on a cookie sheet or other low-sided baking tray to catch any spillage. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, checking occasionally to ensure that the top is browning evenly. Rotate the pie 180 degrees to move the front edge to the back of the oven, and bake until the top is uniformly golden-brown, 15 to 20 more minutes.

6. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Makes 1 pie, enough to serve 6 to 8