This Savory Twist on Apple Pie Turns It into a Main Dish

In the spring of 2015, I packed up my rolling pin and traveled from my rural home in Washington State, to the Big Apple to do all the baking for the Art of the Pie photo shoot. Each evening, photographer Andrew Scrivani would ask me for the backstory of each of the pies he would be shooting the next day—he wanted each image to capture the feeling of the story.

One of my favorite recipes, a Sausage and Apple Pie, is evocative of apple harvest time. I told him about community cider pressings and potlucks, crisp air, and the scent of the first woodstove fire of the season.

Over the eight days we shot the book, it was not unusual for me to have five or more pies in process at any given time. Whether blind baking a crust, whipping egg whites for a meringue, making custard filling, or rolling out dough, I was doing my best to keep track of it all. I had placed a saucepan on the stove to reduce some apple cider for my Sausage and Apple Pie but lost track of it while weaving a lattice top for a berry pie. When I turned my head to check on the cider, I saw that it had nearly caramelized—not quite what I wanted. I removed the saucepan from the heat, and when it was cool enough, took a taste. There was no burned flavor so I decided to forge ahead in order to keep to the very packed baking schedule.

When it was time for a lunch break, the Sausage and Apple Pie was placed on a big table already covered with ones from the previous day’s shoot. I was still in the kitchen finishing up and overheard someone call for a bottle of wine and glasses. Good sign, I thought. I pulled up a chair to the table, hoping that the pie hadn’t been a complete disaster, and saw only one slice left…and some very happy faces. I took a bite and smiled, too. That extra time the cider had spent reducing on the stovetop had resulted in a pie with great depth of flavor. I immediately amended my original recipe to include this fortuitously happy outcome.

Use a favorite pork sausage, a mix of tart and sweet apples, 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.

Sausage and Apple Pie

View Recipe

Ingredients

Sausage and Apple Pie

1	recipe Cheddar Cheese Crust (below)
1	pound (454 grams) ground pork sausage, cooked and drained
2 to 3	tart apples (such as Granny Smiths) cored and sliced or roughly chopped
2 to 3	sweet apples, cored and sliced or roughly chopped
1/4	teaspoon (a pinch) salt
1	cup (248 grams) apple juice or cider
1/3	cup (73 grams) brown sugar, packed
1/2	teaspoon dried thyme
1/4	teaspoon fresh diced rosemary
1/4	allspice
1	egg

1	recipe Cheddar Cheese Crust (below)
1	pound (454 grams) ground pork sausage, cooked and drained
2 to 3	tart apples (such as Granny Smiths) cored and sliced or roughly chopped
2 to 3	sweet apples, cored and sliced or roughly chopped
1/4	teaspoon (a pinch) salt
1	cup (248 grams) apple juice or cider

1/3	cup (73 grams) brown sugar, packed
1/2	teaspoon dried thyme
1/4	teaspoon fresh diced rosemary
1/4	allspice
1	egg

Cheddar Cheese Pie Dough

2 1/2	cups (363 grams) all-purpose flour, unbleached (use dip and sweep method), plus additional for rolling out dough
1/2	teaspoon (3 grams) salt
1/4	pound (115 grams) Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese or other sharp cheddar cheese, grated and chopped fine with a knife (about 1 cup grated)
8	tablespoons (112 grams) salted or unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
6 to 8	tablespoons (88 to 118 grams) ice water

2 1/2	cups (363 grams) all-purpose flour, unbleached (use dip and sweep method), plus additional for rolling out dough
1/2	teaspoon (3 grams) salt
1/4	pound (115 grams) Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese or other sharp cheddar cheese, grated and chopped fine with a knife (about 1 cup grated)

8	tablespoons (112 grams) salted or unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
6 to 8	tablespoons (88 to 118 grams) ice water