NEW MEXICAN APPLE PIE

New Mexican Apple Pie image

Ask Pie Town locals what you should order at Michael Rawl's Good Pie Cafe and they'll suggest New Mexican apple pie. It's basically New Mexico in a pie dish: green chiles, pinon nuts, and on top, the state flag rendered in dough. Rawl, a Baltimore native, developed the recipe shortly after opening Good Pie Cafe in Pie Town, New Mexico in 2001. It has been the bestseller ever since.

Provided by Food Network

Categories dessert

Time 4h

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

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Ingredients

4 tablespoons lard
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 to 7 apples (such as Granny Smith, Fuji and/or Gala), peeled and sliced (about 6 cups)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup turbinado sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
1/4 cup canned or frozen chopped hot green chiles (thawed if frozen)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 large egg
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Steps:

Make the crust: Cut the lard into 1/2-inch cubes; transfer to a plate and freeze at least 1 hour. Combine the flour, granulated sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut in the lard with 2 knives until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of lard (do not overmix). A little at a time, stir in 1/2 to 1 cup ice water until the dough holds together when squeezed; the amount of water will vary depending on the humidity. (You can also make the dough in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.) Divide the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; use the plastic to help form each half into a disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
Make the filling: Combine the apples, flour, turbinado sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, lemon juice, green chiles and pine nuts in a large bowl and toss. Let sit 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Roll out 1 disk of dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Ease into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, then spoon the filling into the crust. Roll out the remaining disk of dough into a 12-inch round; lay the dough over the filling. Press the 2 crusts together around the edge, then fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp with your fingers. Cut a few slits in the top crust or prick with a fork to let steam escape. Whisk the egg with 1/4 cup water and brush over the top crust. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake, rotating the pie every 20 minutes, until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely. Serve with ice cream.