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French Apple Pie-Pat

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Submitted by qtbritty

French apple pie with a thick applesauce and honey filling topped with concentric rings of sliced Granny Smith apples and a glossy apricot glaze. An elegant, low-fat tart-style pie.

YIELD

9 servings

PREP

20 min

COOK

1 hrs

READY

1 hrs

This French-style apple pie looks like it came from a Parisian patisserie, but the technique is simpler than it appears. A thick, honey-sweetened applesauce fills the pre-baked crust, then thinly sliced Granny Smith apples get fanned in concentric circles on top. A brushed-on apricot glaze gives everything that glossy, professional finish.

Simmering the applesauce with honey, vanilla, lemon rind, and optional apple brandy until it’s really thick is the step that makes or breaks this pie. Too loose and the filling won’t hold a clean slice. You want it reduced enough that a spoon dragged through leaves a trail.

The apricot jam glaze gets melted and strained through a sieve to remove any fruit chunks. That strained glaze brushes on smooth and bakes into a shiny, slightly tacky coating that seals the apple slices and gives the pie its signature look.

Kitchen Tips

  • Slice the apples paper-thin and uniform. Thick slices won’t fan properly and won’t cook through in 30 minutes.
  • Peel the Granny Smiths right before arranging. They brown fast. A bowl of lemon water helps if you need to prep ahead.
  • Let the pie cool completely before slicing. The applesauce layer needs to set firm, and cutting it warm produces a runny mess.
  • This is naturally lower in fat since there’s no butter or cream in the filling. The richness comes entirely from honey and fruit.

Variations

  • Spiced French apple pie: Add a pinch of cardamom and a grating of fresh nutmeg to the applesauce while it simmers.
  • Pear-apple version: Alternate thinly sliced pear and apple on top for visual contrast and a more complex fruit flavor.

Ingredients

1 ½ 355
CUPS ML APPLESAUCE
thick, unsweetened
½ 118
CUP ML HONEY
3 45
TABLESPOONS ML APPLE BRANDY
optional *
1 15
TABLESPOON ML VANILLA EXTRACT
1 1
EACH LEMON
grated rind only
3 3
EACH EACH GRANNY SMITH APPLE
peeled and thinly sliced
½ 118
CUP ML APRICOT PRESERVES (JAM)
all-fruit *

Directions

PREPARE AND BAKE crust according to recipe instructions. (See Light and Flaky Pie Crust recipe) Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃).

In a 2-quart saucepan over med-high heat, simmer applesauce, honey, brandy if desired, vanilla and lemon rind until quite thick, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Pour mixture into prepared crust.

Arrange apples in concentric circles on top of sauce.

In a 1-qt saucepan over med-high heat, melt apricot jam, then press through a sieve.

Use a pastry brush to glaze apples with jam.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Let cool before slicing.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 109g (3.8 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 100 0% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 2mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 21%
Calcium 1% Iron 1%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Low Fat, Fat-Free, Low in Saturated Fat, Low Cholesterol, Cholesterol-Free, Trans-fat Free, Sodium-Free, Low Sodium
 
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