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Apple: Deep Dish Apple & Cream Cheese Pie

Source of Recipe

American Favorites


List of Ingredients

CRUST:
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, well chilled -- cut into cubes
2 tbl. ice water -- (2 to 3)

FILLING:
4 granny smith apples, peel, core -- cut 1/4" slices (4 to 5)
8 ounces lowfat cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

TOPPING:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced almonds


Recipe

To prepare crust (food processor): place flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest and butter in food processor. Process, turning on and off several times, until mixture resembles oatmeal flakes. With motor running, add water through the feed tube and process for several seconds more. Dough should adhere well when pinched firmly together. Gather dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll out.

Place dough between 2 sheets of wax paper and roll into a circle 11" in diameter. Remove 1 sheet of wax paper and carefully mold the dough, paper side up, into a 8 1/2 inch springform pan. Remove remaining wax paper. Dough should cover bottom and come 3/4 the way up sides of the pan. Refrigerate until needed.

To prepare filling, arrange a rack at center position and preheat oven to 400ºF. Place apple slices in shallow baking pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 15 minutes just to soften apples slightly; remove and set aside (leaving oven on). Beat cream cheese in bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in egg, lemon zest, vanilla extract and salt. Pour into prepared crust. Place baked apples over filling.

To prepare topping, mix together sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle over apples. Sprinkle almonds over top. Bake for 40 minutes, until rust is golden brown, checking after 20 minutes. If crust is browning too fast, tent pie with foil. Remove and cool to room temperature before serving. Serves 8.