Preparation Time: 45 minutes / Baking Time: 1 hour

About This Recipe

Apples, apples and more apples, this is a great pie to make either in the height of the apple harvest season or when you have stored one basket too many.  It is easy to prepare, but because you are making this in a 9 inch springform pan, it can take a lot of apples. I used ten large Honeycrisp apples to make this pie and the springform pan was only ¾ of the way full. The apples are sliced thinly and layered in circles all the way to the top. They maintain their crispness, even after being cooked, and sit perfectly inside the crispy filo crust. This is a delightful dessert to share for any occasion, feeds a crowd, and transports easily from one home to another.

Equipment:  1, 8 or 9 inch springform pan, pastry brush 

Ingredients

Filling

8 to 10 Honeycrisp apples or any good baking apple

¾ C sugar

⅓ C butter at room temperature, broken up into small pieces

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp of flour

Pastry

1 box of filo pastry, thawed, but cold 

½ C butter melted with 1 tbsp of water

½ C sugar for sprinkling over the filo

2 tbsp of almond flour 

Instructions

Apples

Peel and slice the apples fairly thinly, approximately ¼ of an inch thick. Place the slices in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, lemon juice, 2 tbsp of flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Make sure the flour is well incorporated into the apples. The butter will be added later as you layer the apples in the filo pastry.

Filo Assembly

Note:  While some say using filo pastry is a lot easier than making a pie crust, you do have to work quickly as the filo can dry out in minutes. If you want to take your time, place a damp dish towel over the filo you are not using, as you are working.

Melt the butter with the water in the microwave.  Brush the bottom and sides of the springform pan generously with the melted butter.  Working with two sheets of filo at a time, unfold the sheets and brush melted butter along the entire length and width of the top sheet. Sprinkle the top sheet with sugar. With the long side facing you, fold one of the short ends of the double layer into the centre of the sheet. Fold the other short end over top of this. You now have 6 layers of filo in a strip.  Brush the top of the folded length of filo with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Sugar side up, place one end of the folded filo strip into the centre of the springform pan, allowing the rest of the strip of filo to run along the bottom of the pan and drape over the edge of the rim. Make sure you tuck the filo strip into the rounded bottom edge of the pan.  

Repeat this process with the next two sheets of filo, placing the end of the folded filo strip into the centre of the springform pan with the other end slightly overlapping the first strip of filo. Keep going until you have covered the entire bottom and rim of your springform pan with filo strips. You should have used the entire package of filo.  (See photo of springform pan with the overlapping filo strips.)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of almond flour on the bottom of your pastry.  This will soak up any juice from the apples and help keep the bottom of your filo pastry crisp.  Begin placing the first layer of apples on the bottom of the pan, working around the outside and into the centre, overlapping the apple slices, slightly. After two layers of apples, dot with small pieces of butter.  Continue on until you have used up all your apple slices, dotting with butter every two layers.  Then, begin to fold all your filo strips over the apples beginning with the first strip of filo that you placed.  If you feel that you have too much filo at the top of your pan, simply trim the ends of the filo with scissors. Brush the top of the pie with melted butter and sprinkle it with sugar.  

Bake the pie for 50 minutes to 1 hour. If the top is getting too browned after 40 minutes, tent the top of the filo with aluminum foil.  

The apple filo pie can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 days or frozen up to 1 month. To freeze, place the cold pie on a baking sheet, unwrapped.  When frozen, wrap in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil.

Apple Rose Garnish 

For decoration, if you want to get really fancy, you can make an apple rose garnish, but the pie is beautiful as is, even if you scrunch up some scraps of buttered filo to place on top.  To see how to make an apple rose garnish:

Who Is Gail Sweeney

For Gail Sweeney it began more than 25 years ago.
“One day I brought a white on white cake with a lemon curd filling to work. It created such a celebratory feel in the lunch room and people began to eat and chat and just come together over enjoying this cake.”

And that started it – Gail’s excellent adventure as a baker and cook.

“…I fell in love with being able to create nice moments with tasty treats that could easily be shared with others.”

Soon Gail was supplying specialty markets, clients, bistros and, of course, her friends and family with her sweets. 

Gail, a child and adolescent psychologist says:

“… in juxtaposition to trying to help solve some of life’s more challenging issues, baking seems like such a simple way to bring some joy into other people’s lives. It is amazing how sharing a plate of homemade cookies can momentarily light up the room and provide a sense of comraderie.”

Gail has a baking book, Let’s Bake, being released by Penguin Random House:  Hatherleigh Presson April 25, 2023.  
Currently, it is available for presale at Chapters/Indigo and Amazon. 

“I should also add, I love the pretty factor in desserts. Some how you can make a lemon tart look so much more elegant than a shepherd’s pie.“