Savory Herb Apple Pie

Make the crust

1. Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, and salt. If using cheddar, whisk it in now.
2. Cut in the butter. Add cold butter cubes and work them in with your fingers or a pastry cutter until you have a mix of pea-size pieces and some flatter shards. Those shards are your flake insurance.
3. Add water and vinegar. Drizzle in 1/2 cup ice water and the cider vinegar. Mix with a fork until it looks shaggy. If it is dry, add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time just until it holds when you squeeze it.
4. Chill. Divide into two disks, wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

Make the filling

1. Prep apples. Peel, core, and slice apples about 1/4-inch thick.
2. Quick stovetop cook. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, thyme, rosemary, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until apples begin to soften but still hold their shape.
3. Thicken. Sprinkle cornstarch over the apples and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in apple cider (or water) and cook 1 to 2 minutes until the juices look glossy and slightly thickened.
4. Cool completely. Transfer filling to a bowl and cool to room temp, then refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes. Warm filling will wreck your crust.

Assemble

1. Heat oven. Preheat to 425°F. Place a sheet pan on the lower rack to preheat too. This helps crisp the bottom.
2. Roll bottom crust. Roll one dough disk into a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch pie pan, leaving a slight overhang. Refrigerate while you prep the top.
3. Keep the top cold. Leave the second disk in the fridge until you are ready to roll it. Cold dough is happy dough.
4. Add filling. Spoon the cooled filling into the crust and level it out.
5. Top it. Roll the second disk and lay it over as a full top crust or cut into lattice strips. Trim excess dough, then crimp edges to seal.
6. Vent and wash. If using a full crust, cut 5 to 6 vents. Brush with egg wash, then sprinkle with flaky salt. Add turbinado sugar if you want a sweet-savory vibe.

Bake and cool

1. Bake hot, then steady. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. Reduce to 375°F and bake 30 to 35 minutes more, until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling in the center.
2. Shield if needed. If the edges brown too fast, loosely tent with foil or use a pie shield for the last 15 minutes.
3. Cool for clean slices. Cool at least 3 hours before slicing. This is the difference between “pie soup” and “nice slice.”