Chef Joey Z's Apple Pie With A Cream Cheese Crust

Total Time: 1 hr 27 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 42 mins

Ingredients

• 8 cups granny smith apples (peeled, cored and thin sliced)
• 3 tablespoons minute tapioca
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar substitute (i used z-sweet)
• 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (fresh or from the bottle)
• 1/4 cup cold goat butter
• 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (optional)
• 1 cup spelt flour (all purpose will work too)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup cream cheese (i used non-dairy)
• 1 tablespoon cold water (filtered is best)
• 1/4 cup cream (to brush on top of the pie-i used silk creamer)
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar substitute (i used z-sweet to sprinkle on top of the pie)

Recipe

• 1 for the pie filling:.
• 2 peel the apples, core them then cut them up thing using your thin slice blade on your food processor. put in a big bowl.
• 3 add the tapioca, powdered sweetener, turbinado sugar, ground cinnamon and lemon juice. mix really well to distribute all the ingredients and coat the apples. set aside.
• 4 preheat your oven to 425'f.
• 5 for the crust:.
• 6 as i said above, i make one crust at a time. this works much better then making two and trying to divide them evenly. i never seem to be able to get them exact. this recipe is just for one crust, i haven't made both crusts at once.
• 7 put the flour and salt in the food processor, pulse it a few times to combine the ingredients and fluff up the flour.
• 8 add the shortening and pulse to distribute. add the cream cheese and pulse a few more times. you should have a course pebble texture when done.
• 9 open the food processor and feel the dough. if its soft, but not sticky and stays together then its ready. however, if its a bit crumbly add a little cold water at a time and stop the machine, continue to feel the dough. once it sticks together nicely its ready.
• 10 because i used non-dairy cream cheese i didn't even need to add the water. there was enough moisture in it as it was.
• 11 turn the dough out onto a board and form it into a disc. refrigerate the disc while you make the second crust. you can refrigerate the second disc for about 20 minutes if you wish. this will make it much easier to handle.
• 12 roll out the first disc to about 2 inches wider then your pie plate. put the rolled dough into the plate and carefully press it down into the plate making sure all the air pockets are gone.
• 13 add the apple pie filling. dab the goat's butter on top of the apples.
• 14 roll out the second disc and put it on top of the apples. flute the edges with a fork or what ever way you like. trim the excess dough from around the edge of the pie.
• 15 put steam vents into the top crust then brush with the creamer and sprinkle with your z-sweetener. the sweetener will give it a nice crunch on top.
• 16 bake the pie at 425'f for 12 minutes. then reduce the heat to 350'f and bake for 25-40 minutes. i found 30 minutes was enough.
• 17 before removing it from the oven, test the pie with a pointed knife to make sure that the apples have cooked through. because i didn't peel my apples they took a little longer to cook.
• 18 cool on a metal wrack and refrigerate after its cooled down. you can always heat up a piece in the microwave with a little piece of cheese on top. or, if you eat it cold add a dollop of whipped cream as i did.
• 19 bon appetit!