Apple Picking + Dutch Apple Pie Recipe

~ Story by Danielle ~

I cannot believe we’re almost halfway through November! This fall is going by way too quickly for me. Between traveling, hosting the last Secret Supper dinner of 2018 recently and Tendue’s—my events space—first anniversary celebrations, I blinked and autumn was almost over. I am definitely so thankful I live in Oregon, where it feels that fall hangs on a little bit longer than in most places in the country. Fall is simply the best!

The smell of dried fall leaves bring about a couple of really vivid, happy memories from my childhood back in Minnesota. There have been a few times over the past couple of years where I will be walking and I will get a waft of that earthy, sweet dried leaves smell and boom: I am five years old in the unicorn Halloween costume my Grandma made for me, (that’s right, I was making unicorns popular in 1990, before you fools even thought about wearing a unicorn onesie) walking the streets of Sleepy Eye, MN, fighting my brother and sister for all of the pink Starbursts. Other times: the trips to the apple orchards or pumpkin patches come to mind. Fall really evokes tradition and nostalgia in me and I think that is why I still find so much joy and fulfillment in searching pumpkin patches for hours, looking for the perfect pumpkins to grace my doorstep and heading to beautiful apple orchards picking pounds of apples that I don’t even have a plan for.

In late September, right at the peak of apple season in Portland, I traveled out to Sauvie Island with my friends, Alba and Karlee, on a hunt for this season’s best apples and with plans for a pie picnic. Yes, a pie picnic is as amazing as it sounds! We visited one of our favorite farms in the area, Pivot Farm. You might remember this farm, because we actually hosted a dinner there for Feast Portland last fall! Their beautiful, no spray orchards have the most stunning mountain views, the best apples and the most amazing people!

Karlee, the crazy talented mastermind behind: Olive & Artisan, brought a Dutch Apple Pie made with her Grandmother’s recipe. She (and her Grandmother) were generous enough to share this recipe with us and now we want to share it with you! This is a perfect pie to make for Thanksgiving or as a hostess gift for all of your upcoming holiday gatherings!

Apple Pie for the Soul

Karlee Flores of Olive and Artisan shares her grandmother’s Dutch apple pie recipe, which she has been every fall for years!

Ingredients:
For the Crust
3 cups All Purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup butter, chilled
½ cup buttermilk, plus 2 tablespoons

For the Filling
4 large apples, any variety but I prefer granny smith
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt

For the Crumble
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

For the Crust
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Grate the chilled butter and toss with the dry ingredients.
Start to work the butter in with your hands until the mixture starts to look buttery and the flecks of butter in the dough are pea-sized or smaller. Drizzle in the buttermilk, and toss together with a fork until it’s too stiff to work anymore. Use your hands to fold the dough and squeeze it dough together to make one dough ball.
Shape the dough into a disk about the size of a dinner plate. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Roll out dough as thin as you can get it. About a 12-inch circle.
Place dough onto a small 9 inch pie plate. Cut the edges around leaving a 1 inch overhang. Fold the overhang over and crimp. Place back in the fridge while making the filling.
For the apple decoration, use the scraps to cut out with an apple shaped cutter. Brush with egg wash (1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon whole milk). Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees)

For the filling
Peel and thinly slice apples and toss into a medium sized bowl. Toss the apples with the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the Crumble
Mix all filling ingredients together until crumbly.

Assemble
Give the apples another toss before pouring into the pie shell. Evenly top the pie with the crumble and place in the oven for 45 - 50 minutes.
let cool for 1-2 hours before serving.