APPLE RASPBERRY PIE WITH CORNMEAL CRUMBLE

makes one 9” pie
 
Single crust all-butter pie shell with orange zest
 
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup white-whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 sticks (8 oz.) cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces
½ cup ice cold water
 
In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, salt and zest. Using a bench scraper or your fingers, cut in the butter until crumbly. Add the ice cold water a few tablespoons at a time, tossing the mixture to combine, just until the dough becomes shaggy and sticks together when pinched. Gather the dough together and flatten it into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour before rolling out. When the pastry has chilled, roll out the disc on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper into a circle about ⅛” thick and 12” in diameter. Fit the pastry into a 9” pie plate; trim the excess so you have about a 1” overhang, then fold and crimp the edges. Refrigerate while you prepare the crumble.
 
Cornmeal Crumble to top one 9” pie
 
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick (4 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, beaten with a fork
 
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, zest, cardamom, flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter using a bench scraper. Drizzle in the beaten egg, using your fingers to combine the mixture into a crumble. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
 
Apple Raspberry Filling
(Note- I used a mix of Honeycrisp, Macoun, and Granny Smith apples. Fresh raspberries are preferable, but in a pinch you can use frozen; just make sure they are individually quick frozen and not packed in syrup.)
 
6-7 apples (about 2½ pounds) a blend of sweet and tart, peeled, cored and sliced ¼” thick
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 generous cup fresh raspberries, lightly rinsed, dried on a paper towel
½ teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon orange zest
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
pinch of salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
 
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. When the oven is hot, retrieve the pie shell from the fridge, place it on a baking sheet and line the pie shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights or beans and place on the lowest rack of the preheated oven. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees F and remove the pie shell from the oven. Carefully remove the parchment (or foil) and pie weights (or beans) and set them aside. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork to prevent it from puffing up. Return the pie shell to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the crust is set and lightly golden. (If it has crept up, gently press it down with your fingers.) Set the pie shell aside to cool while you mix the filling.
 
Make sure your oven is preheated to 425 degrees.
 
Retrieve the cornmeal crumble from the fridge. In a large bowl, toss together the apple slices and the orange juice. (Do not add the raspberries yet or they will break down too much.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the zests, sugars, salt, spices, flour, and cornstarch. Add the sugar/spice mixture to the apples, gently turning to coat the fruit evenly. Turn half of the filling into the par-baked pie shell. Dot with half of the raspberries. Add the remainder of the apples and the raspberries. Break apart the cornmeal crumble with your fingers and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the pie. Don’t be tempted to smash the crumble down over the fruit, let it sit high- it will hug the filling as it bakes down. Place the pie on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover the edges of the pie with strips of aluminum foil and bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees and move the pie to the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 50 minutes, keeping an eye on things, covering the top of the pie with a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil if it starts to get too brown; you want it to be toasty, not dark. Check the apples to see if they are tender; they may need an additional 8-10 minutes. The pie will bubble around the edges and the apples will yield to the tip of a paring knife when the pie is done. Set on a cooling rack and allow to cool for several hours before slicing. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.