All-American apple pie dressed up as Old Glory, the American flag.

Apple Slab Pie

By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime

Today I am posting with some of my blogging friends for a small collection of Patriotic Recipes for the upcoming Independence Day holiday in the USA.

After some thought about what to make, I decided on an apple pie, because what is more American than apple pie? But to make it fit in with the red, white and blue theme, decided to do a slab pie and try to brush dye the crust and shape it like a latticework flag.

For the stars I used a small star cutter that I bought on Amazon- after looking at several, I opted for the one with the plunger, since it would push the stars out without having to mangle them  with my fingers. You can look at them and order one HERE if you need to. Otherwise, just use whatever star cutter you have, or perhaps even carve them out of the crust with a small knife, although that seems painstaking.

On the egg white dye, I found that it really works best to use only a tiny amount of egg white, since you don’t really need that much. At first when brushing,   I had to brush more to get more color and it slightly pooled on the star mat (blue). If I make this again, I will use much less egg white and a bit more color. But overall, it is pretty easy to do.

I also wish I had ruffled the pie crust edges  (crimped) but I had wanted to   keep it square.  But as you can see, the crust contracted in spots, looking not as even and smooth as I would have liked. Next time I will crimp/ruffle the edges as I normally do on pies.

Join me tomorrow when I post with #CookoutWeek again with my recipe for Grilled Salmon Salad Caprese. And then again on Thursday when I post my recipe for Basil  Pesto Grilled Corn. Until then-

~Sue

Apple Slab Pie

• Servings: 12
• Time: 1hr 15mins
• Difficulty: moderate
• Print

Ingredients:

• Pie Filling:
• 4 medium golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 4 medium granny smith apples, peeled cored and sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1-3/4 cups apple juice
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Crust:
• 36 ounces prepared pie crust or 5  single crust refrigerated pie crusts
• Other:
• 2 egg whites
• blue and red food coloring

Method:

1. Saute the apples in a deep skillet for 1-2 minutes, then stir in 1 cup of the apple juice, along with the cinnamon and nutmeg. 
2. Cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until they start to soften, then stir in the sugar, and mix the remaining apple juice with the corn starch and stir that in as well, cooking until thickened. Allow to cool.
3. Whisk the egg white and place a small amount of each into two different stainproof bowls, and add blue color to one  and red color to the other until desired depth of color is achieved.
4. Fit most of the rolled out crust into a jelly roll pan.
5. Working  on a stainproof surface, such as foil, cut out a suitable sized square background for the stars,  and using a pastry brush, coat it with blue colored egg whites.
6. Using a small star shaped cutter, cut out stars and leave those plain.
7. Cut out strips of crust to make stripes.
8. Place the cooled filling on top of the base crust.
9. Add strips of crust for stripes, and brush alternating ones with red colored egg whites.
10. Place the blue colored square in the upper left corner and place plain cut out stars on top of the blue.
11. Secure edges of crust.
12. Bake at 450°F. for 20-25 minutes on the second lowest oven rack, or until the crust is browned.

From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com

July 4th, 1776 is the date the Second Continental Congress adopted The United States Declaration of Independence effectively ending British rule. Now we celebrate our independence each year on July 4th with fireworks, picnics, parades and backyard barbecues across our nation. Join these 11 bloggers as we celebrate and share some patriotic themed recipes!

• Apple Slab Pie by Palatable Pastime
• Berry Phyllo Cups with Lemon Cheesecake Cream by Caroline’s Cooking
• Best Fruit Kabobs by Feeding Big
• Patriotic Cupcakes by Family Around The Table
• Red Velvet Dulce de Leche Poke Cake by Frugal Pantry
• Red, White and Blue Berry Macaron by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Red, White and Blue Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Red, White & Blue Chocolate Covered Strawberries by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Red, White & Blue Nachos by Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Red, White and Blue Sangria by Simple and Savory
• Red, White and Blue Scones by Culinary Adventures with Camilla