Iron skillet apple pie is a three-crust Southern pie that starts with a brown sugar caramel melted directly in the cast iron before the first layer of pastry goes in. Three refrigerated pie crusts, two layers of sliced Granny Smith apples, and more sugar and cinnamon between each layer, all in a nine-inch cast iron skillet. The brown sugar base caramelizes under the bottom crust during baking and produces a sticky, butterscotch layer on the underside of the first crust that you don't get from a standard pie pan.
Three crusts is the part of this recipe that surprises people and is also what makes it a different pie than a standard two-crust apple pie. The middle crust creates a defined division between the two apple layers, soaking up juice from both directions, and the structure of the finished pie is more like a layered torte than a standard pie. Each serving has visible layers: crust, apple, crust, apple, crust.
Half a cup of butter in a nine-inch cast iron skillet, placed in the preheated 350-degree oven until the butter melts. Remove, sprinkle with one cup of brown sugar, and return to the oven while you prepare the apples. The butter and brown sugar melt and combine into a thin caramel directly in the skillet. The heat of the skillet is what allows this to happen without a stovetop; the cast iron retains enough heat that the sugar begins to dissolve immediately when it hits the hot butter.
This caramel is what goes under the bottom crust and produces the distinctive sticky, caramelized underside when the pie is served. It's the same technique used in tarte tatin, where the fruit cooks directly in the caramel before the pastry is added. Here it's under the pastry rather than the fruit, but the effect is similar: the bottom of the pie has a layer of concentrated, caramelized sugar that the pan-to-table flip of a tarte tatin would expose but the skillet pie keeps hidden on the underside of each slice.
Remove the skillet from the oven and lay the first pie crust over the brown sugar. Arrange half the sliced apples over the crust. Sprinkle half a cup of white sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon over the apples. Lay the second pie crust over the apples. Arrange the remaining apples, sprinkle the second half cup of sugar and second teaspoon of cinnamon. Lay the third crust on top. Sprinkle with a quarter cup of white sugar, dot with a tablespoon of butter cut into small pieces, and cut four slits for steam to escape.
Five Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, quartered, and thinly sliced. Granny Smith is the right apple here for the same reason it's right in any baked apple dish: its tartness holds against the significant quantity of sugar in this recipe and its firm flesh doesn't collapse completely during baking. A sweeter apple would produce a cloying, mushy filling; Granny Smith produces a filling that's sweet and tart with some texture remaining.
45 minutes at 350 degrees until the apples are tender and the top crust is golden brown. The cast iron holds heat more effectively than a pie pan and produces more even browning on the bottom crust. The slits in the top crust allow steam to escape; without them the middle crust would be underbaked and the steam would cause the top crust to balloon unevenly.
Let it rest for fifteen minutes before serving, which allows the layers to set slightly and the caramel base to firm from liquid to a sticky coating. Served warm, each slice shows the layered structure and the caramelized underside of the bottom crust. Serves 8. Nutrition per serving: 734 calories, 108g carbohydrates, 34g fat.
Vanilla ice cream is the obvious pairing and the right one: the cold, creamy ice cream against the warm, caramelized pie is the combination this dessert is made for. The sticky caramel base that has pooled slightly in the skillet during baking can be spooned over each serving as a sauce. A spoonful of crème fraîche also works well if you want something less sweet than ice cream against the very sweet pie.
A Southern cast iron apple pie with a brown sugar caramel base, three pie crusts, and two layers of cinnamon Granny Smith apples. Serves 8.
Servings 8
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
The cast iron skillet must be oven-safe (standard cast iron is). Let the brown sugar start to melt in the oven before adding the first crust. Rest 15 minutes before cutting so the layers set. Nutrition per serving (serves 8): 734 calories, 108g carbohydrates, 3g protein, 34g fat, 17g saturated fat, 49mg cholesterol, 396mg sodium, 2g fiber, 70g sugar, 4mg vitamin C, 37mg calcium, 138mg potassium.