Chef Howard’s Umami Apple Pie

In honor of National Apple Pie Day on May 13th, our very own Chef Howard Cantor is sharing his very own apple pie recipe!

Umami apple pie? You may be asking yourself why?  Let me explain and convince you on National Apple Pie Day (my favorite day of the year by the way) why you need this recipe in your life and why it works.

Apples by nature for some reason happen to work well with savory elements in food.  Think about some of those natural combinations: roasted pork loin with apple stuffing, slow-smoked meats that get sprayed with apple cider vinegar for flavor and moisture during 8+ hour cooks, apple cider in BBQ sauces and sharp dry umami filled aged cheddars served with sweet tangy apple pie.  The combinations are endless but this one REALLY works.

For this recipe, we took some of the elements you’d find in many popular combinations like a smoky undertone or some of the sweetness of miso and combined them with the rich deep dark flavors of soy sauce to come up with a unique but incredibly flavorful combination that will set your next apple pie apart from the rest.

For the crust, I used a traditional pie dough and cut shredded aged white cheddar cheese into the blend for an aged flavor that really sets off the tangy acidity of the apples.

Try out the recipe below and be prepared to be amazed!

Umami Apple Pie

450gr of Frozen Fuji Apples

45gr Fuchs Umami Apple Pie Seasoning

25gr water

2 premade rolled out pie crust, a top and bottom*

Preheat oven to 400F

In a large bowl combine apples water and seasoning, mix well to be sure apples are completely covered in seasoning, set aside

Take pre-rolled pie crust and in an oven-safe pie pan roll out crust.

Put seasoned apples in the crust covered pan, add second crust to cover the apples and seal edges with a fork around the entire pan.

Cut 3-4 small holes in the middle of the crust once sealed.

Baste with a light egg wash and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.   Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting to serve.

*If you want to make a scratch pie crust

250gr AP Flour

25gr Fuchs seasoning

200gr salted butter cubed

50gr water

In a stand mixer blend flour and seasoning until well mixed

Add COLD cubed butter until you have a sand like texture

Add water and mix until just coming together and forming a ball

Hand form into a disk about 1” thick, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour

Roll out to 1/8” thick for a top and a bottom of a 9” pie pan.