Use your favorite pork sausage (I had homemade Chorizo in the freezer so used it) , a mix of tart and sweet apples, (I only had one, so used sweet only) and a flavorful apple cider or juice. The liquid will intensify in flavor, much like boiled cider, when reduced. I like to pair this filling with a cheddar cheese crust either with or without a bottom crust. Don’t worry if there is extra moisture released in the bake from your fresh juicy apples. That bottom crust will soak up the delicious flavor. I just poured off the extra liquid and it was perfect!
The original recipe was from “Art of the Pie”, but as you can see I altered the recipe to use what I had on hand, as we were in the middle of a snowstorm and I could not get out of my driveway to make to the store. I figure you can always adlib and substitute and still have a wonderful result. My husband loved this recipe.
Makes: one 9-inch deep-dish pie
Ingredients
Sausage and Apple Pie
- 1recipe Cheddar Cheese Crust (below)
- 1pound (454 grams) ground pork sausage, cooked and drained
- 2 to 3tart apples (such as Granny Smiths) cored and sliced or roughly chopped
- 2 to 3sweet apples, cored and sliced or roughly chopped
- 1/4teaspoon (a pinch) salt
- 1cup (248 grams) apple juice or cider – ( I did not have either, so I used a little Rose Wine)
- 1/3cup (73 grams) brown sugar, packed
- 1/2teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4teaspoon fresh diced rosemary
- 1/4allspice
- 1egg
Cheddar Cheese Pie Dough
- 2 1/2cups (363 grams) all-purpose flour, unbleached (use dip and sweep method), plus additional for rolling out dough
- 1/2teaspoon (3 grams) salt
- 1/4pound (115 grams) Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese or other sharp cheddar cheese, grated and chopped fine with a knife (about 1 cup grated)
- 8tablespoons (112 grams) salted or unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
- 6 to 8tablespoons (88 to 118 grams) ice water
Directions
- Make the Cheddar Cheese Dough: Combine all ingredients but the ice water in a large bowl. With clean hands or a pastry cutter, blend the mixture together until it looks like coarse meal with some lumps in it.
- Sprinkle 6 tablespoons ice water over the mixture and stir lightly with a fork.
- Squeeze a handful of dough together. Mix in a bit more water as needed.
- Divide the dough in half and make two chubby discs about 5 inches (12 centimeters) across. Wrap the discs separately in plastic wrap and chill for an hour.
- To make the Sausage and Apple Pie: Place the apples, salt, juice or cider, brown sugar, thyme, rosemary, and allspice in a sauté or fry pan and cook on medium-low heat until you can just start to put a fork into the apples. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside. Reserve the juice.
- Pour the juice into a small saucepan. If you have less than a cup, add more juice or cider to make 1 cup, then turn the heat to low and cook until the juice has reduced in amount to about one-quarter its amount and has nearly caramelized. Be careful not to let it burn. This will take about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Spoon the sausage into the apple mixture, pour over the reduced cider, and mix well.
- Adjust the salt to taste and let the filling cool.
- Roll out the bottom crust and place in your pie pan. Add the filling.
- Roll out the upper crust and place it on top. Seal the edges, crimp, and vent.
- Make an egg wash by beating together the egg and 1 tablespoon of water with a fork. Brush the pie with egg wash.
- Bake at 400° F (205° C) for 40 minutes. Give the pie two more egg washes at 10-minute intervals during the first 20 minutes of the bake.
- Let the pie cool for 15 minutes or more before serving.