Makes 6 to 8 fried pies
YouTube instructional video is at the bottom.
What you’ll need
1 large apple
1 medium-sized lemon
All-purpose flour
Sugar
Salt
Cornstarch
Cinnamon
All spice
Unsalted butter
Butter flavored vegetable shortening
Whole milk
Vanilla extract
Butter extract
Almond extract
Lemon yellow gel paste food coloring.
Confectioners’ sugar
Vegetable or canola oil
Tools you’ll need
Food processor or dough cutter
Rolling pin
Cooling rack
Dough cutter
Citrus juicer (Manual)
Apple Corer
Potato or fruit peeler
Medium-sized 4-quart pot or deep fryer
Thermometer (If you are using a pot to fry the pies)
Preparation of ingredients
Apple and Lemon fillings
Step 1- Rinse apple and Lemon. Zest and cut lemon in half. Juice lemon using a manual citrus juicer.
Apple filling
Step 2- Peel apple using a fruit or potato peeler. Core the apple using the apple corer. Cut the thick apple slices into small cubes. Place apple cubes into a medium-sized bowl.
Step 3- Add 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon all spice, 4 tablespoons sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt into bowl with the apple cubes. Stir all ingredients together for 2 minutes.
Cornstarch mixture (For Apple filling)
Step 4-Add 1/2 cup cold water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into a small bowl and stir until combined. This will be added into the apple filling once the cooking process is done.
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 5- Add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and apple filling into a medium-sized pot and stir. Let simmer for 3 to 4 minutes stirring occasionally. Add Cornstarch mixture and stir for 1 minute or until filling thickens. Turn fire off and let cool completely. Place into the fridge overnight. You can make this a few days in advance.
Lemon filling
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 6- Add 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 1/4 cups water, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1/3 cup sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt into a small pot. Stir all ingredients together and let simmer for 3 to 4 minutes stirring occasionally.
Cornstarch mixture (For Lemon filling)
Step 7-Add 1/2 cup cold water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch into a small bowl and stir until combined. This will be added into the lemon filling once the cooking process is done.
Step 8- Pour hot lemon mixture into a mesh strainer with a small bowl or measuring cup underneath it. Discard the contents in the mesh strainer and pour the lemon mixture back into the same small pot and let it come to a simmer.
Step 9- Add Cornstarch mixture and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Dip a toothpick into the yellow gel paste food coloring and swirl it into the lemon mixture. Careful not to add too much, only add a very small amount of it. Stir until combined and let cool completely. Place into the fridge overnight to let the lemon filling set.
Making the pie crust
Step 10- Add 3 cups all-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (Cold) and 6 tablespoons butter flavored vegetable shortening (Cold) into a food processor. Pulse 12 to 15 times or until the butter and shortening is cut into the flour.
Step 11- Add flour mixture into a medium-sized bowl and add 11 tablespoons cold water and stir until dough starts to come together. Form the dough using your hands. If the dough doesn’t come together add 1 tablespoon cold water and stir again until dough starts to come together. Let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Shaping the dough and assembling the pies.
Step 12- Lightly flour surface of table. Add dough on top of table and shape into a rectangle. Press down on the dough as you are forming the rectangle. Lightly flour the top of the dough and take a rolling pin a roll the dough into a 36-inch long by 5 1/2- or 6-inch-wide rectangle. As you are rolling the dough, make sure the width doesn’t exceed 5 1/2 or 6 inches in width. If it does reduce the dough with your hands. As you reduce the dough with your hands it will thicken. Push the thick dough toward the center of the dough using your hands. From there continue to roll the dough until it reaches 36 inches long.
Step 13- Cut small slits into the dough. The length between each slit is 4 1/2 inches in length. Cut along the slits using a sharp knife.
Step 14- Add 1.5 ounces in weight of the apple or lemon filling onto each piece of cut dough.
Step 15- Take your finger or a small pastry brush and dip it into a small amount of water. Glide your finger or pastry brush all around the edges of each piece of dough.
Step 16- Flip dough onto itself and press down the edges of the dough with your hands, creating a seal so the filling won’t spill out during the frying process.
Step 17- Cut around the edges of the dough using a dough cutter and make indentations around the edge of the dough using a butter knife.
Heating the oil and frying the pies
Preheat fire to medium heat (If using a 4-quart pot)
Preheat deep fryer to 350 degrees (If using a deep fryer)
Note- Make sure you have a cooling rack with an 11 by 17-inch baking pan ready before frying the pies. Make sure the oil stays at a consistent temperature of 350 degrees during the frying process.
Step 18- Add 48 fluid ounces of vegetable or canola oil into a 4-quart pot. If you are using a deep fryer, add oil according to the deep fryer’s instructional manual on how much oil to add. Let the oil get hot until it reaches a temperature of 350 degrees F.
Step 19- Add 1 or 2 pies at a time into the hot oil. Let fry for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from hot oil using a mesh straining spoon. Hold for a few seconds to allow the oil to drip. Add onto a cooling rack and let cool for 5 minutes.
Making the icing
Step 20- Add 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons warm whole milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon butter extract, and 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon almond extract into a small bowl. Stir all ingredients with a whisk until mixture is creamy and smooth with no visible lumps.
Heating the icing and glazing the pies.
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 21- Add icing into a small skillet and stir with a spatula for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the icing is hot and simmering.
Step 22- Add each pie individually into the icing and coat both sides of the pie using the icing. Remove the pie from the icing using a slotted spatula. Wait a few seconds to allow some of the icing to drip off and place the pies back onto the same cooling rack and let the icing set for 12to 15 minutes or until the icing hardens. Once the icing sets, the pies are ready to be served.
YouTube instructional video