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Apple Cranberry Slab Pie

A slab pie is nothing more than a regular pie writ large. Baked in a 9-x-13-inch pan, this pie feeds 24 but is easier to make (and to carry) than 3 separate pies. The filling was inspired by an e-mail from Pete Wells, our restaurant critic, who mused about his ideal Thanksgiving dessert; the brown sugar, ginger and rum give it a complex and more autumnal flavor than most apple pies. Serve with whipped crème fraiche and small glasses of good, aged rum. (Don’t let making your own pie crust intimidate you: our pie guide has everything you need to know.)

Ingredients

For the Crust:

  • 3 ¾cups all-purpose flour (450 grams)
  • 1teaspoon fine sea salt (6 grams)
  • 3sticks plus 6 tablespoons butter, preferably a high-fat, European-style butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (15 ounces/425 grams)
  • 6 to 8tablespoons ice water, more as needed

For the Filling:

  • 6 ¾pounds apples, preferably a mixture of Gala, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick (21 cups/about 3 kilograms)
  • 1 ½packed cups light brown sugar (300 grams)
  • ¾cup maple syrup
  • 1cup dried cranberries (150 grams)
  • 6tablespoons instant tapioca (75 grams)
  • 3tablespoons dark rum
  • 1 ½teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (3 grams)
  • 2tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1tablespoon grated fresh ginger (18 grams)
  • 1 ¼teaspoons fine sea salt (9 grams)
  • 2 ¼teaspoons ground cinnamon (6 grams)
  • ¾teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter, diced small (1 ounce/28 grams)
  • 1large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1 ½tablespoons Demerara sugar (20 grams)
  • Nutritional Information
      • Nutritional analysis per serving (20 servings)

        587 calories; 33 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 72 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 43 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 95 milligrams cholesterol; 307 milligrams sodium

    Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

18 to 24 servings

Preparation

  1. Make the crust: In a food processor, briefly pulse together flour and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms chickpea-size pieces. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until mixture is just moist enough to hold together. Form dough into two balls, one about 2/3 of dough and the other the remaining 1/3 of dough. Wrap each with plastic and flatten into disks. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 2 days before rolling out and baking.
  2. Lightly flour a work surface and remove the plastic wrap from the larger dough ball. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough ball to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle, dusting with flour if dough sticks. (Leave smaller dough ball in the fridge.) Transfer rolled-out dough to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Carefully line the pan with dough, pressing it into bottom of pan and completely up the sides. Crimp the top edges. Chill dough in fridge until ready to fill.
  3. Roll out remaining dough ball to a 10-by-13-inch rectangle, dusting with flour if dough is sticking. Using a decorative cookie cutter (like apples, leaves or hearts), cut out dough shapes. Reroll scraps if necessary to use up as much dough as possible. Transfer cutouts to a small baking sheet. Return baking pan and sheet to refrigerator to chill while you prepare filling.
  4. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange a wire rack in the lowest position in the oven. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on the floor of the oven to preheat.
  5. Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, maple syrup, cranberries, tapioca, rum, lemon zest and juice, ginger, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Let mixture stand 10 minutes. Pour filling into bottom pie crust and dot with 2 tablespoons diced butter. Arrange dough cutouts on top of apple mixture, overlapping it slightly and making sure several cutout edges touch sides of pan. Whisk together egg and cream. Brush over crust; sprinkle with Demerara sugar.
  6. Move rimmed baking sheet from oven floor to lowest rack. Place pie pan on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling thickly, 40 to 60 minutes longer. Loosely tent top of pie with foil if crust browns before filling is ready. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
  • To turn this slab pie into a standard 9-inch pie that serves 8 people, use 1/3 of the amount of each ingredient. (The exceptions are the whole egg and the tablespoon of cream for the egg wash; use the same amount as you would for the slab pie.) A smaller pie will bake more quickly, so watch it carefully; it should need about 50 to 60 minutes in the oven. It’s done when the juices bubble up thickly and the apples are tender. And don’t forget when dividing into thirds that a third of a tablespoon equals a teaspoon.

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