Recipe Courtesy of Jennifer Grove
Photos courtesy of Jubilee Photography & Belle Vie Photography

Prep School 101 blogger Jennifer Grove
Photo courtesy of Jubilee Photography

Baltimore’s Jennifer Grove, 35, is a single mom to five-year-old Calista and one savvy blogger and businesswoman. Grove created the blog Prep School 101 in May 2009 after writing a fashion and entertainment blog for several years. Grove saw very strong reader feedback when she posted personal pictures and stories and, most importantly, her recipes. Her ex-husband was a sommelier in Manhattan and she spent ten years dining in New York’s finest restaurants, developing a sophisticated palette.

Over 5,000 unique visitors a week across the country checked in on Prep School 101-a chic mix of East Coast fashion, food, wine, family fun, and more. As if the blog and her duties as a single mom didn’t keep her occupied enough, Jennifer recently launched a brand new website and company in late October. A few weeks ago, this mompreneur began her second business venture with Sky Blue Events (www.skyblue-events.com), a Baltimore-based wedding and event planning company. Sky Blue designs and provides consulting services for stylish soirées, private gatherings, formal affairs, chic weddings, milestone celebrations, store openings and corporate functions throughout the Baltimore region.

Now, Grove takes those memories (and very loyal audience) and her current fun family times with Calista (and her boyfriend) to her popular new blog, blog.skyblue-events.com. With everything Jennifer is successfully juggling, we asked her to offer AML fans one of her delicious seasonal recipes from her Prep School repertoire! And, we were thrilled when Jennifer said she was game. Grove’s own take on an American classic, deep dish apple pie, is below.

Bon Appétit!

Deep Dish Apple Pie

Bring fresh apples home from a nearby orchard, like Media’s Linvilla, for your delicious Deep Dish Apple Pie recipe.

Pie Crust:

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 pound (3 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into bits
3/4 cup ice water

Directions for pie crust:

Using two pastry blenders or a food processor blend the flours, salt and sugar to combine. Add butter and blend or process until butter is incorporated and mixture is coarse. Slowly add 1/2 to 3/4 cup ice water until the dough holds together. Do not overwork the dough.

Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Press into a flattened circle and wrap up with the plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.

Filling:

All-purpose flour (for dusting)
2 pounds of Gala apples
2 pounds Granny Smith apples
2 pounds Empire apples
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 6-tablespoons
1 large egg yolk
Sugar (for sprinkling)

Directions for filling and assembly:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place three-quarters of the pie crust on a lightly floured work surface and roll into a 12-inch-diameter circle, 1/8 inch thick. Brush off excess flour; roll dough around the rolling pin and lift it over your deep-dish pie pan. Gently press the dough into the pan and into the corners. Trim the dough so that it hangs over pie plate by about 1/4 inch. Roll out the remaining dough to a 10-inch-diameter circle and transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Put both crusts in the refrigerator to chill.

Peel, core and cut apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices. As you go along, place the slices in a large bowl and sprinkle them with the lemon juice to prevent discoloration. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Toss apple slices with the sugar mixture.

Divide the butter between 2 large skillets and melt over medium-high heat. Divide the apples between skillets, and cook, stirring often, until sugar melts and apples are golden (but still firm) and coated in syrup approximately 8-10 minutes.

Remove the crusts from the refrigerator; transfer cooked apples to prepared pie pan and make a mound of the apples at the center. Whisk egg yolk with 2 tablespoons water to make an egg glaze. Brush glaze on edge of dough. Center the rolled pie dough over apples. Tuck edges of the top crust between pie pan and bottom crust. Using your fingers, gently press crusts together along edge, and crimp.

Using a fork, prick the pie crust in several places. Using a knife cut several steam vents into crust, in a circle. Brush surface with egg glaze, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Collar the crust with foil. Bake pie until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes. Remove foil collar and reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake until the crust is crisp and the apples are soft, 45 to 50 minutes more. Let stand at least 30 minutes before serving.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

For more fantastic, seasonal recipes, check out Jennifer’s new blog, blog.skyblue-events.com. Did you make this recipe? Let us know how it turned out! Feel free to comment below.