1-2-3 apple pie

(Karoline Boehm Goodnick for The Boston Globe)
By Karoline Boehm Goodnick
Globe Correspondent / November 24, 2010

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Serves 6

Toss apples with sugar and cinnamon, heap them in a pie pan, and top with buttered phyllo dough. You will not find an easier apple pie, complete with crisp top crust. Phyllo pastry is in the frozen section of most grocery stores; defrost the dough in the refrigerator so that it does not get warm, then unroll it and keep it under a clean cloth. Work quickly to brush 5 sheets with butter, stacking as you go. Cut them into a square and after you lay it on the apples, tuck under the edges like a blanket on a bed. Sprinkle the phyllo trimmings with cinnamon and sugar and bake them for 5 minutes. Crisp treats for the hard-working kitchen crew.

Butter (for the pan)
8 medium baking apples such as Baldwin, Golden Delicious, Northern Spy, Rome Beauty, (2 1/2 pounds total) peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons flour
5 sheets phyllo dough
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Extra granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
Confectioners’ sugar (for sprinkling)

1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter a deep 9-inch pie pan.

2. In a large bowl, toss apples with granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, and flour. Transfer them to the pie pan.

3. On a clean, dry counter, lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough. Using a pastry brush, dab the phyllo dough lightly with a small amount of butter (it will not be buttered all over). Lay another sheet on the first one and dab with butter. Repeat with remaining 3 sheets.

4. With scissors, cut the stack of phyllo into a 12-inch square. Lay the dough on the apples and tuck under the edges. Sprinkle the dough with granulated sugar. Using a paring knife, cut a small X in the top.

5. Bake the pie on the bottom rack of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.