Apple Pie Calzone
Jake Cohen
Photo by Food52
- Serves
- 8 to 10
- Prep Time
- 30 minutes, plus chilling and cooling time
- Cook Time
- 55 minutes
Summer is all about wrapping the season's best fruit in a flaky buttery crust to be crowned with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream, right? I've been very much in my galette era for the past few years, providing the most surface area for a crispy, golden crust, while also being a bit less fussy to throw together compared to a standard pic. The one thing I was missing was the joy of a precooked fruit filling, pulling out all those juices and thickening them with cornstarch into a jammy, sweet gel suspending chunks of tender fruit. I'm a big believer that we can and should have it all, so this recipe was born. We're rolling out our pie dough as if were making a galette, but then adding a precooked apple filling (though peaches or cherries would be stunning here, too) on half of the dough so we can fold over the other half to seal it into our pie calzone. Is it an actual calzone? No! But you immediately get the concept, and "jumbo hand-pie" doesn't have the same ring to it, you know? Maybe just call it the best dessert you'll bake all summer.
—Jake
Recipe excerpted from "Dinner Party Animal" by Jake Cohen
Ingredients
Dough
- 1/2 cup ice-cold water
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 3 cups (405g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Filling
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 pounds (8 to 9 medium) Honeycrisp apples, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
Calzone
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Make Ahead Dough (step 1) can be made up to 1 month in advance, stored in a sealable plastic bag in the freezer and thawed in the refrigerator overnight before assembling, or 1 day in advance, covered tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator. Filling (step 2) can be made up to 1 day in advance, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Calzone can be assembled and baked (steps 3, 4, and 5) any time the day it's being served.
Leftovers 3 days at room temperature.
Directions
- Step 1
Make the dough: Combine the water and vodka in the same measuring cup. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add the butter and, using your fingers, pinch it into the flour until you have pea-sized crumbles. Pour in the vodka mixture, then knead with your hands until a solid ball of dough forms. Press into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, make the filing: In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apples, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Cook until the apples are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water to combine, then stir into the apples. Cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl and let cool completely.
- Step 3
Assemble the calzone: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Step 4
Dust a clean work surface with flour. Roll the dough into a 16-inch circle, dusting with more flour as needed. Brush off any excess flour, then transfer to the prepared pan, letting half of the dough overhang on one of the long sides of the pan. Spread the filling evenly on the half of the dough on the pan, leaving a 1-inch border clean. Fold the overhanging dough over the filling to enclose it, pressing the edges to seal. Tuck the outer edges of the calzone underneath itself for a clean half-circle, then use your fingers or a fork to crimp the crust as if you were baking a pie. Brush the calzone with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the granulated sugar, then use a paring knife to make 3 (2-inch) parallel slits at the top.
- Step 5
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely, then slice and serve.