Lost Nation Cider Pie

Lost Nation Cider Pie which originated in the kitchen of organic apple growers Michael and Nancy Phillips made its way to Super Chilly Farm via Ben Watson in his book, Cider Hard & Sweet. The cider jelly gives a rich depth to the apple flavor, and the apples get tender without turning to mush. This is the perfect pie for a dark winter night.

Ingredients:

  • Pastry for a two-crust 9” pie

  • ½ sugar (Ben’s recipe calls for ¾ cup, but I prefer less)

  • 3 Tbs cornstarch

  • pinch of salt

  • 1 cup cider jelly**

  • ½ cup boiling water

  • 1 egg – lightly beaten

  • 1 Tbs butter – melted

  • 3 cups firm, winter keeper apples - sliced (or enough to make a heap in the center of your pie plate)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.

  2. To make the filling, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl dissolve the cider jelly in the water, and then mix that into the sugar. Stir in the egg and the melted butter.

  3. Roll out the bottom crust and lay it into a 9” pie pan. Cover the bottom crust with the apple slices, mounding them up in the center. Pour the filling mixture over the apples.

  4. Roll out the top crust and lay it over the pie. Crimp the edges, and cut a few slashes in the top to let the steam escape. (You might want to put a rimmed baking sheet under the pie when you cook it as mine leaked a delicious caramel-y juice that I spooned up and drizzled over the pie when I served it.)

  5. Bake 40 minutes or until the crust is golden and you can see the juices bubbling.

**Ben suggests making your own cider jelly by boiling down fresh cider until the jelly stage (220 degrees) or until the cider runs off a spoon in a sheet. Sounded easy, but by the time my cider started sheeting off the spoon, it was way too late. The whole batch turned to hard candy as it cooled. I ended up using a jar of cider jelly I located at the back of the refrigerator. Guess I need to get a candy thermometer.