We’ve made it!  We’re at the end of the recipes from Dave’s Graduation Party!  It seems fitting  to end this party series with a dessert taht is perfect for feeding a crowd.  It tastes amazing, but is one of the easiest pies to make AND it comes giant sized.  This was taught to me by one of my favorite New Yorkers, Deb, of the famous Deb’s Jello Salad post.  It is from Deb that I was first introduced to the magic invention of the apple peeler/corer/slicer all in one.  Brilliant!  And it is especially brilliant for this recipe for the Apple Slices layer.  a few cranks of the handle and all you have to do for your presentation apples is slice them in half and fan them out.  If you have one of these inventions gathering dust in a dark corner of a kitchen cup board, this is the perfect dish to bust it out for.  You won’t regret it.

Deb’s Swiss Apple Pie
Ingredients:
Apple Filling:
4 large apples, peeled, quartered, cored and cubed
½ c. butter
½ c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
Apple Slice Layer:
5 medium apples, peeled, cored, halved and thinly sliced
2 tbsp. cinnamon sugar (see recipe)
Pastry:
5 1/3 c. flour
4 tbsp. sugar
2 c. butter
4 eggs
Custard:
2 c. heavy cream
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, making sure you have about 1 inch of overhang on two sides.
2. Apple Filling: Put the apples, butter, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until the apples begin to soften, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the apple filling from the heat and cool slightly.
   

   The apple filling ingredients.

   

   The apples are just now starting to soften.

3. Pastry: Depending on the size (or presence) of your food processor you might need to blend this in two batches. If you have a large processor, or if you are mixing this by hand, do it all in one batch. In a processor blend all of your pastry ingredients until it looks like a wet sand with bits of butter throughout. If doing this by hand, combine all of your ingredients in a large bowl and cut the butter and eggs into the dry ingredients. However you blend the ingredients, once well combined dump your pastry ingredients onto a lightly floured board and press them together until they form a unified dough. Roll your pastry into a large rectangle that will fit your sheet pan. Carefully drape the pastry over your rolling pin and move it to your sheet pan. Gently press the pastry into the corners of your pan and crimp the edges if you want a decorative finish.
   

   The crumbly pastry ingredients.

   

   It doesn’t look like it will hold, but it will…

   

   Ta da!

   

   The pastry just fits into the baking sheet.

   

   A simple crimping of the pastry edges.

4. Apple Slice Layer: Spoon your apple filling into the pastry shell. Arrange the sliced apples on top of the apple filling in neat rows, overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the apple slices.
   

   The apple filling layer in the pastry crust.

   

   The apple slice layer.

   

5. Bake the pie for 10 minutes at 425, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for a further 20 minutes. Watch your pie and if it starts to brown too quickly or “over caramelize” cover it loosely with foil.
6. Custard: Gently beat the heavy cream, eggs, vanilla and nutmeg to combine. Pour this custard over the apples, doing your best to pour it evenly over the pie. Return the pie to the oven and bake for a final 10 minutes. Cool the pie before portioning.
   

   The custard mixture.

   

   

   The finished product. Delicious!

7. Slice the pie into squares and either serve directly from the pan or place the slices on a pretty platter. The pie can be served warm or cold, and can be made a day or two in advance. Be sure to refrigerate the cooled pie until ready to serve.

Click here for a printable version of Swiss Apple Pie recipe.

Including a “recipe” for cinnamon sugar seems a bit odd at first, but it’s one of those things that no one should ever have to buy premixed.  There’s just two ingredients, cinnamon and sugar.  No stabilizers, preservatives or other ingredients that you can neither pronounce or guess as to what they do.  For me cinnamon sugar is more about proportions than anything else.  I want to be able to smell and TASTE the cinnamon.  It should do more than simply create a light beige sugar.  It should be redolent with cinnamon, enough that if you sprinkle it generously on buttered toast (it makes the best cinnamon toast ever!), you should get the sweetness of the sugar, but more importantly the warm heat of the cinnamon.  There should be no doubt in your mind about what you are eating and enjoying at that moment.  ‘Nough said.

Cinnamon Sugar

Cinnamon Sugar
Ingredients:
½ c. white sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1. Put both the sugar and cinnamon into a jar with lid, seal the lid and shake vigorously to combine. Conversely you can combine the two ingredients in a small bowl and transfer the finished cinnamon sugar to a jar or other container to seal it for future use.
2. This can be used for an excellent cinnamon toast or sprinkle it on top of muffins before baking them for a sweet finish. Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of the Cinnamon Sugar recipe.