Honey Apple Pie with Thyme

I don’t think I ever would have tried this pie if I hadn’t had a jar of thyme honey sitting in my pantry. It was a gift from a friend several years ago, and I haven’t had many occasions where it seemed like “just the thing” I needed for a recipe. It certainly never occurred to me to make an apple pie with it. But Melissa Clark from the NY Times was more imaginative than I was, and she put together this recipe for this subtly different pie. It reminded me of those herbed sorbets some restaurants serve between courses to cleanse your palette - they mess with my taste buds as I try to figure out what I am eating. In the end I always like them. And that’s how I feel about this pie.

Ingredients:

  • 7 tart apples (use 2 or more varieties if you have them)

  • 1/2 cup honey

  • 6 thyme branches

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter - cut in small pieces

  • 2 Tbs instant tapioca

  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar (you may not even need that much)

  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • flour for dusting

  • dough for 2 9” pie crusts

Directions:

  1. Make your favorite pie crust dough. You will need a top and a bottom. Shape them into two flat discs, and chill while you make the filling.

  2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

  3. Core 6 of the apples, and slice them into sixths. You may be tempted to slice them thinner since this is thicker than the way you slice apples for most pies, but don’t. They will get too soft.

  4. In a very large skillet over medium-high heat, bring half of the honey to a boil. Let it simmer for 2 minutes until it begins to caramelize. Add 3 thyme branches. Arrange the apple slices from 3 of the apples in a single layer in the skillet. Sprinkle 2 TBS butter over the apples. Cook until the apples are caramelized on the bottom, and then flip them over, and let them caramelize on the other side. It takes about 10 minutes. Don’t let them get soft all the way through. They will not get really dark.

  5. Scrape the apples and honey into a bowl. Add tapioca and toss to combine. (I didn’t have any tapioca so I skipped this, and the pie was not soggy.)

  6. Repeat the above process with the remaining honey, thyme and 3 more of the apples. You will have the slices from one apple remaining uncooked.

  7. After adding the second batch of apples to the bowl, remove, and compost the thyme branches.

  8. Core and thinly slice the remaining apple, and add it to the bowl. Stir in sugar, ginger and salt.

  9. Roll out half the dough, and place it into a nine-inch pie plate. Transfer the apple mixture to the bottom crust. Roll out the remaining dough and cover the pie. Crimp the edges and cut several vent holes in the top. Place on a rimmed baking sheet to prevent a mess on the bottom of your oven.

  10. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until the crust is golden brown, and the juices are bubbling through the vents. Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.