Upside Down Apple Pie

Here is my promised apple pie post.  Last fall when I went apple-picking with the kids, I canned 6 quarts of apple pie filling.  I haven't used any till just recently and I thought that a nice apple pie would be just lovely today. 

Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I prefer a crispy crust.  I always have a problem with my pie crusts coming out dense and chewy instead of crispy.  So for this pie, I decided to try something different.  Rather than put the crust underneath the filling, I decided to put it on top like I do when I make a pot pie. 

The crust I use for my pies is based on this recipe.  It is a very easy crust to make and comes out beautifully. 

To make this pie, you will need two things:
At least 5-6 cups apple pie filling (maybe more if you like more filling or use a bigger pan; revised this from 4 cups because you definitely need the extra filling!)
Pie dough for a 9" pie

I'm not going to put my recipe for the filling yet because I'll have to find it again, but I will show you step-by-step how I made the crust.

For the crust, you will need:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp lemon juice (or vinegar)
1-2 tbsp cold water

Preheat your oven to 425F/220C.

Pour your flour and salt in a mixing bowl.

To cut in your butter, use the large holes on a grater.  This is epically easier than using a pastry blender, especially if your butter is very cold.

Stir together the flour and grated butter, breaking up any big clumps.

Add your egg, lemon juice (or vinegar), and 1 tbsp of water.  Stir to combine.  Add more water if needed to form a ball of dough.

Now, a pie pastry expert would tell you to put the dough in the fridge for at least an hour to chill, but I'm not an expert and I'm also not patient.  I find it perfectly acceptable to go ahead and roll it out, slightly larger than your pie pan (I used a 10"). 

Now it's time to fill the pie.  Like I said, I used a quart jar of apple pie filling, though next time I may use a jar and a half for this size pie pan. 

As you can see, my quart jar didn't fill the pan too terribly far, but that was OK for me.

Next lay your crust on top of your filling and form a nice edge at the edge of your pan.  Put it out farther than you think it ought to go because the crust will shrink back a bit because of the egg.

Cut some vents for steam to come out.  You can make them in a little design to make your pie even prettier.

Put the pie in the preheated oven for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350F/180C for an additional 20 minutes.  With a pie like this, you will want to put a pan on the rack underneath your pie while it's baking to catch any drips.  I had a little bit of dripping as the filling bubbled up. 

When your pie is done, take it out of the oven and let it cool for a bit before cutting.  The filling is likely to be quite runny when it's still warm, so if you like a firmer filling, let it cool completely and put in the fridge before cutting.

I was impatient to get into my pie, so you can see my runny filling.  I'll take a better picture after the pie has chilled a bit.  This pie goes well with some vanilla ice cream or some fresh whipped cream (pictured above).