It was quite something to experience an entire photo shoot come to a halt when this richly scented savory pie emerged from the oven. After the last shot was taken, a green salad and bottle of white wine quickly materialized, but by the time I got to the makeshift table for a piece, the pie had all but disappeared.
On-Demand: Listen to Faith’s conversation with Kate McDermott about this savory pie recipe (Sunday dinner, anyone?). If you’re cooking for the holidays, Faith and Kate also dished about the many perfect-for-Thanksgiving pie recipes in the book. If you’re not hungry when you start listening, you will be by the time you hear the closing theme music.
Need more holiday recipes? Check out our page devoted to Our Best Thanksgiving Recipes.
Excerpted from Art of the Pie: A Practical Guide to Homemade Crusts, Fillings, and Life by Kate McDermott. Published by The Countryman Press • A division of W.W. Norton & Company. Copyright © 2016 by Kathleen L. McDermott, Photographs Copyright © 2015 by Andrew Scrivani.
- 1 recipe double Cheddar Cheese Crust See Recipe Notes for links to a traditional and a gluten-free version
- 1 pound (454 grams) ground pork sausage cooked and drained
- 2-3 tart apples (such as Granny Smiths) cored and sliced or roughly chopped
- 2-3 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 teaspoon allspice
- 1 egg plus 2 tablespoons (30 grams) water, fork beaten
- Cook the sausage and set it aside.
- Place the apples, salt, juice or cider, brown sugar, thyme, rosemary, and allspice in a sauté or fry pan and cook on medium-low heat until you can just start to put a fork into the apples. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside. Reserve the juice.
- Pour the juice into a small saucepan. If you have less than a cup, add more juice or cider to make 1 cup, then turn the heat to low and cook until the juice has reduced in amount to about one quarter its amount and has nearly caramelized. Be careful not to let it burn. This will take about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Spoon the sausage into the apple mixture, pour over the reduced cider, and mix well.
- Adjust the salt to taste and let the filling cool.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Roll out the bottom crust and place in your pie pan. Add the filling.
- Roll out the upper crust and place it on top. Seal the edges, crimp, and vent.
- Brush the pie with egg wash.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Give the pie two more egg washes at 10-minute intervals during the first 20 minutes of the bake.
- Let the pie cool for 15 minutes or more before serving.
Get the recipe for Kate's Traditional Cheddar Cheese Dough or her Gluten-Free Cheddar Cheese Dough.
This pie can be made with or without a bottom crust. Depending on the type of apples used, there may be a lot of moisture in the filling and the bottom crust will soak it up. It is delicious with a gluten-free cheddar crust, too. The cheddar cheese crust is a little sturdier than a crust without cheese, so don’t make the edges too thick.
