Slab baking simplifies pie making

I had a formula when it came to pie for holiday planning. I felt better when there were almost as many pies as there were people. I tried to have as much variety as well, but I realized that such a commitment could only happen once a year. No one’s got time for that. During a week of frenzied pie baking, I’d burn out my interest in rolling crusts.

That was then.

Slab pie and I met around this time last year. Our relationship has been easy from Day One. It’s much less fussy — more of a “weeknight with sweat pants” kind of dessert than a “let’s be seated in the dining room” type. I appreciate that there’s no need to dress up the crust for company and that the slices aren’t so overdramatically delicate. That other kind of pie always threatens to turn into a slump upon serving, but slab-pie filling really holds up under pressure. Plus, I can count on it to feed a crowd and still have leftovers.

I can’t really remember what life was like before.

Slab pie is just pie on a larger scale, if not more grand. I’ve seen them in cookie sheets and casserole dishes. It’s the pie you can cut into squares and pick up with a spatula — pie server not necessary. I like the 11-by-15-inch pan size. It’s an underutilized pan, in my opinion. Big enough for a crowd but holds more depth than a cookie sheet. If you don’t have a pan that size, use two 9-by-9-inch pans.

Granted, you aren’t going to get that really juicy filling when you’ve spread it over a larger area and increased the amount of crust. Actually, when it comes to apple pie, I prefer that. In my opinion, when you combine apple filling with a cookie crust and crumble topping, you’ve hit a perfect ratio of crust to filling.

Quadrilateral is the new apple pie.

SLAB APPLE PIE WITH SHORTBREAD CRUST

• 9 large, crisp apples, mixed variety, (I use 6 Granny Smith, 3 Fuji)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 5 tablespoons butter, chopped
• >> Shortbread crust:
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups flour
• Pinch of salt
• >> Streusel topping
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup oats

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Make crust: Cream butter and powdered sugar. Add flour and salt and beat again, briefly, until dough looks crumbly.

Press dough firmly into bottom of 11-by-15-inch pan or two 9-by- 9-inch pans, as evenly as possible.

Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Let cool completely. (Speed up process by placing in freezer for 10 minutes after it has cooled to the touch.)

Meanwhile peel and core apples, then chop into 1/2-inch chunks. Mix with lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss until apples are coated.

Spread apples over crust. Dot butter evenly over apples.

To make streusel: In bowl using pastry cutter, cut butter into flour, sugar and oats to make pea-sized pieces.

Sprinkle streusel evenly over apples until completely covered, then bake 55 minutes. Apples should be cooked and streusel just browned and crisp on edges.

Serve warm or cold — I like mine with a scoop of plain, full-fat yogurt.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at thelittlefoodie.com. Her column runs on the last Wednesday of the month.