New Mexico Apple Pie with Green Chilies and Pine Nuts

Ingredients:

For the Pie Crust:

• · 1 1/3 cup flour

• · 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

• · ½ teaspoon salt

• · 1/2 cup lard, very cold

• · ¼ cup ice water, one tablespoon at a time, as needed ONLY!!

• · 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

For the Pie Filling:

• 5 cups peeled and thickly sliced Granny Smith apples

• 1/3 cup chopped roasted Hatch green chiles, medium hot

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon allspice

• 1/4 cup cornstarch

For the streusel:

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

• 1/4 cup pine nuts

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Method:

Read the recipe. Did you read it? Read it again…Do all of your mise en place for this recipe before beginning. It will help with the timing.Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For the Crust:

1. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder in a bowl. Using a scoop, drop small scoops of lard into flour mixture, shaking slightly periodically to make sure lard doesn’t clump. If lard starts to get warm, pop in freezer for 10 minutes.

2. Using a pastry cutter, knives or your hands, cut the butter into the flour until the butter is in small pieces.

3. Add 2 teaspoons vinegar and work in gently until a dough has formed. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed only, you will more than likely not need to use all of the water. If dough is soft, wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

4. Shape into a ball, and place on floured work surface or between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is large enough to lay across your pie plate. Gently work the dough into the pie dish, shape crust as desired, and cut off any overlaying pie dough. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

5. Blind bake in preheated oven with parchment & pie weights for 20 minutes. Remove parchment and weights and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Prick with a fork if necessary.

6. Set shell aside until ready to fill.

For the Filling:

1. In a large bowl, toss apples, green chiles, and lemon juice together.

2. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients, then add them to apples and chiles and toss until thoroughly coated.

For the Struesel:

1. In a small bowl, mix flour, pine nuts, and brown sugar. Add melted butter and toss together until crumbly.

For the Pie:

1. Pour filling into prebaked crust, then top with streusel.

2. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375°F and bake for 30-40 minutes more until filling is bubbling and streusel is well-browned.