Mile High Apple Pie Recipe From Karen's Restaurant

A Mountainous & Magnificent Apple Pie!

Pie Crust:
Based on a classic pate brisee, this pie crust dough is easy to work with, flaky and tender.
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 tablespoons (or more) ice water
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Blend flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, process until coarse meal forms. Add 8 tablespoons ice water and cider vinegar; blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together. Turn dough out onto work surface; divide dough in half. Form each half into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour. (Can be made ahead. Keep dough refrigerated up to two days, or enclose in resealable plastic bag and freeze up to one month, then thaw in refrigerator overnight. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)

Filling:
15 Noble Orchard apples, combination of Granny Smith and Pippin, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small chunks
1 large egg yolk for egg wash
On a lightly floured surface, roll out I disc of dough to a 13-inch round, 1/8-inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate, (do not trim overhang). (I prefer to roll it a bit wider to fit a 10 inch pan.) Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
Adjust oven rack to lowest position. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together egg yolk and a tablespoon of milk or water for egg wash.
In a large bowl, toss together sliced apples, flour, lemon juice, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, until combined; layer apples into chilled pie shell, until all are piled in a tight stack. Dot with butter.

Roll out remaining disk of dough as in step 1, cut slits in top of dough. Brush rim of bottom crust with egg wash. Gently center dough on top of apple stack, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Tuck dough under bottom piece, and crimp edges with fingers as desired. Brush pie with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar, if desired. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
Transfer pie pan to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake on lowest rack until crust begins to turn light brown, about 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees, and bake until crust is golden brown and juices bubble, 60-75 minutes more. (The high initial temperature helps the crust to set quickly so it doesn't get soggy. Reducing the heat allows the apples to cook through without burning the crust; if top crust or edges are browning too quickly, tent pie with foil.)
Karen pulled her pies before they were all the way cooked, preferring them to be a little crunchy in the center: To test, take a paring knife and stick it in the center of the pie. If it goes in with a little bit of difficulty, it's good.
Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely (it takes about 3 hours for a pie to set properly), and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a slice of sharp cheddar cheese or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Notes:
Oh my.....My husband, the cousins, aunties and uncles all love this pie! It contains 15 apples. The first time I made this pie was for Thanksgiving, 2014. From start to serving was a 7 hour process. The result was that everyone wanted another for Christmas. Since Christmas dinner included 19 people, I made two pies , and I added a scattering of fresh raspberries, just like auntie's mother, Jane Madsen, always did. I prefer the pie made in a 10 inch pan, instead of a 9 inch pie pan. 
Karen's Restaurant served fantastic food, in a rustic & homey environment, in the town of Chico, in Northern California. Karen's pies were famous worldwide and she generously shared this recipe with the local newspaper.. Sadly, decades ago, the warehouse that housed the restaurant & other business was destroyed in a fire and never reopened.