Huge Apple Pie

This pie is best eaten when completely cooled to room temperature. It smells so good while baking, but when we've indulged in eating it warm from the oven, we notice that the fullness of flavour from the spices doesn't come through. I came up with the pie recipe because I found a beautiful used deep dish pie plate that I just had to have. This was about the same time that our Granny Smith apple tree started to drop its fruit in our first year on the farm. Being one of the classic apple pie fruits, it was a perfect fit.

Part 1 - the crust

1½ cups flour
2 Tbsps sugar
¼ tsp salt
¾ cups (6oz/172gr) very cold butter cut into 1⁄2 inch pieces
½ cup (2 oz) sharp cheddar, grated
1 egg yolk
4 Tbsps (more or less) ice water

NOTE: The pastry needs time to cool in the refrigerator not once but twice for 15 minutes each time, and then at least another 15 minutes before baking.
NOTE: The secret to a flaky crust is to keep everything cold. If you work the dough with your hands, be sure they are cool - my hands tend to be hot, so I dunk them in an ice bath before making pie dough.

1. Put the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and pinch with your fingers to create a crumb texture (it's like playing with sand) with bits that are pea-sized and no smaller. The goal is not to completely combine the butter into the flour, but to break it up into the flour so that there are tiny globule of butter that, when the dough is baking, will create pockets as they melt, giving you that lovely pie flake.
2. Stir in the cheddar.
3. Make a well in the middle and pour in the egg yolk and 3 Tbsps of water (add the 4th and more until you get the classic pie dough texture). Quickly work in the liquids into the flour until you can form it into a ball; don't overmix or you'll have tough dough.
4. Pat into a thick disk, seal in plastic and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
5. Roll out the dough, line a deep dish pie plate with it (or divide into 2 pies) and chill at least for another 15 minutes.

Part 2 - the filling

The Cream:

2 cups heavy cream

1 whole star anise

1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely grated

4 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks (14 to 20 cm total)

pinch ground nutmeg

The Apples:

9 cups (2 to 3lbs when peeled and cored, or 10-11 fruits) of sliced apples

⅔ cup sugar

The Custard:

6 Tbsps (or ¼ cup+2Tbsps) flour

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Position the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven (to make sure the bottom of the crust bakes properly) and preheat to 400°F.
2. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan with the star anise, ginger, cloves, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg. 
3. Remove from the heat and let the spices steep for at least 20 minutes. 
4. After 20 minutes, strain the mixture into a bowl and allow it to cool while you complete the following steps.
5. Combine the apple and sugar in a large pan and cook until the apple starts to soften. The apples won't cook much in the oven, so get them to stay whole as much as possible but get them to soften.
6. Remove from the heat, add the flour, toss to coat evenly and set aside.
7. When the cream is cool enough, whisk in the eggs and the vanilla.
8. Fold the egg and cream mixture into the apples, being careful not to break up the apple pieces any further.
9. Take the crust out of the refrigerator and pour the apple mixture into it. Pop in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, combine all the streusel ingredients until well blended, in preparation for the final stage of baking.

For the streusel

1 cup flour

½ cup (4oz/114gr) melted butter

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamons 

1. Squeeze the streusel ingredients between your fingers and palms to make clumps ranging in size from small to large grapes. Once the first 15 minutes of pie baking has elapsed, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F, remove the pie from the oven and scatter the streusel all over the top of the pie. There is a lot of streusel; use it all, gently mounding it in the centre (if you are making two smaller pies instead of one giant pie, you may choose to make a double recipe of the streusel, or just divide this one. It's whatever ratio you prefer of filling-to-streusel).
2. Return the pie to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down again, this time to 350°F, and continue baking for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the streusel is evenly browned and the pie feels firm when the top is gently prodded. If you can see any filling bubbling around the edges, that is a good sign of doneness, but also a sign that the streusel could have been spread more evenly in those areas.
3. Remove the pie from the oven and allow the filling to thicken and set. Feel the bottom of the pan to make sure there is no more warmth and that it is completely at room temperature before even thinking of serving it.
4. This pie is best when completely cooled.