Baked Apple Dumpling Pie

Source: Apple Pie Perfect - Ken Haedrich

A cross between baked apples and apple dumplings, explains Ken Haedrich in Apple Pie Perfect.

Serves 6.

Pastry
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut up
1 egg yolk
About 3 tablespoon cold water

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse just to mix them.

Remove the lid and scatter the butter on top. Pulse again just until the butter is broken into very small pieces.

In a glass measuring cup, combine the yolk with enough water to make 1/4 cup of liquid. Using a fork, blend them well. Remove the processor lid and sprinkle the yolk mixture all over the flour. Pulse again just until the pastry starts to form large clumps.

Empty the crumbs into a bowl and with your hand, pack the dough as you would a snowball. Knead the dough right in the bowl 2 or 3 times. Put the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form a flat disk. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Apples
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons raspberry preserves
4 Golden Delicious, Gravenstein, Baldwin,
    Macoun, Northern Spy or Winesap apples
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
Flour (for rolling)

Set the oven at 400 degrees F. Have on hand an 11-to-12-inch skillet with a heatproof handle.

In a food processor, combine the raisins, walnuts, 1/4 cup of the light brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pulse just until the mixture is finely ground.

Melt the butter in the skillet, but do not let it brown. Add the remaining 1/4 cup light brown sugar and the preserves. Cook for 30 seconds over medium heat or until the mixture is bubbling evenly all over. Remove the pan from the heat.

Without peeling the apples, halve them horizontally. Core each half. Place the apples, cut sides down, in the skillet. Put 6 halves around the edge and 1 in the center. Dice the remaining apple half and scatter the pieces between the apples.

Spoon some of the raisin-walnut mixture into each apple half, compacting it with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle leftover filling between the apples.

On a lightly floured board, roll the pastry to a round the exact size of your skillet. Pick the pastry up on the rolling pin and ease it onto the apples. Tuck the edge of the pastry down along the inside of the pan. Poke several large vent holds in the pastry with a paring knife.

Brush the pastry with milk and sprinkle it with granulated sugar. Transfer to the hot oven and bake the pie for 20 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue baking the pie for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Let the pie cool on a rack for 20 minutes before serving.

Cut the pie is cut so that each person gets an apple and some crust.