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Recipe Card
For the Pie Crust
ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1" pieces
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Hard Cider Caramel
ingredients
- 2 cups demerara, (sold as Sugar in the Raw or turbinado)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup hard apple cider or unfiltered apple juice
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
For the Crumble Topping
ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons demerara, (sold as Sugar in the Raw or turbinado)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Filling
ingredients
- 6 large (about 3 pounds) tart apples (such as granny smith, honeycrisp, or an heirloom variety or a combination), cored and thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons dry hard apple cider or unfiltered apple juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
Make the pie crust
Method
Step 1
Stir apple cider vinegar into ice water.
Step 2
Add flour and salt to a large bowl and stir to combine. Cut cold butter into flour with two forks or a pastry cutter until butter pieces are slightly larger than peas. Add 4 tablespoons of the ice water mixture to the bowl and continue to cut the butter in, adding more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed until all flour is moistened. (You might have some ice water leftover or you might need to use all of it, depending on the freshness of your flour).
Step 3
Turn flour mixture out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a 3/4" thick rectangle. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Make the Hard Cider Caramel
Step 1
Meanwhile, add all ingredients to a medium heavy-bottom saucepan and stir to combine. Cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Be sure to stir only as necessary to avoid too much crystallization of the sugar. Set aside to cool slightly. If mixture hardens, gently heat it until a spoonable consistency is reached.
Make the Crumble Topping
Step 1
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, working the butter in with your fingers until sandy and mixture holds its shape when you squeeze a handful of it. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap until ready to use.
Make the Caramel Apple Filling
Step 1
Toss sliced apples with flour, cinnamon, ginger, and hard cider or unfiltered apple cider until apples are well coated. Pour 3/4 of the caramel over apples and toss to combine.
Assemble and Bake
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Move rack to lower third of the oven.
Step 2
Once pie dough is chilled, roll on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper to 1/4" thick and about 11x15". Carefully transfer dough to a 9x13" baking sheet (there should be a 1" overhang on each side). Roll crust 1/2" down and crimp with your fingers or a fork.
Step 3
Sprinkle rolled oats in an even layer into the bottom of the pie dough, then top with caramel apple filling. Spoon half of the remaining hard cider caramel overtop. Top filling with a layer of crumble, leaving some pieces more coarse for texture.
Step 4
Place a standard baking sheet or large sheet of aluminum foil in the oven to catch any spills. Bake slab pie for 35 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 350F degrees and continue baking for about 20 more minutes, until filling is bubbling and thickened and crust and crumble are golden brown.
Step 5
Allow slab pie to cool completely before slicing and serving.