Skillet apple-cranberry pie tastes delicious -- and is easy to make

Just because nothing's more American than apple pie -- and few desserts more delicious -- doesn't mean making one is easy. The standard recipes can be pretty involved.

But this recipe is for a pie with only one crust, not two, and with everything cooked in the same skillet.

Apple cranberry pie

Start to finish: 3 hours, 15 minutes (45 active)

Servings: 6

This Sept. 11, 2017 photo shows a skillet apple cranberry pie in New York. This dish is from a recipe by Sara Moulton. (Sara Moulton via AP)

• Pie dough (recipe below) or 12 1/2 ounces store-bought pie dough
• 2 1/2 pounds mixed apples (your choice, but avoid apples that fall apart like McIntosh), peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup fresh apple cider
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 heaping tablespoon granulated sugar
• Vanilla ice cream for garnish

Roll out the crust on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch round, transfer to a round platter and chill, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and let soften slightly at room temperature for 15 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, in a medium bowl, toss together the apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, salt and cinnamon. In a 10-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium and add the apple mixture and the cider. Cook, tightly covered, stirring frequently, until the apples are tender but still hold their shape, 12 to 15 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to a rimmed sheet pan, leaving the liquid in the skillet, and spread them out in one layer. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until it is reduced to a few tablespoons and is quite syrupy. Add the reduced syrup and the cranberries to the apples and stir well. Let the apples and the skillet cool.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the bottom rack in the lower third of the oven.

When the apples have cooled, transfer them back to the skillet, smoothing the top. Lift up the dough round that has softened on the counter and place it over the apples, letting the edges hang over the rim of the skillet. Ease the dough down, pressing it in where the apples meet the skillet. Trim the crust with a pair of clean scissors so it is flush with the top rim of the skillet and fold the edges of the dough back in on top of the remaining dough to form a rim. Re-roll the dough scraps, cut out several leaf shapes, and place them in the center of the dough. Brush the crust evenly with the cream and sprinkle with the sugar.

Bake on the lower rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving; garnish with ice cream.

Pie dough

For the dough:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (180 grams)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Make the dough:

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and the salt, add the butter, and mix the dough with your fingertips or a pastry blender until most of the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the rest in roughly pea-sized lumps. Drizzle 2 tablespoons ice water evenly over the mixture and gently stir with a fork until incorporated. Gently squeeze a small handful, which should hold together without crumbling apart. If it doesn't, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring two or three times after each addition until it comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. With the heel of your hand, smear the dough in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather the dough together and repeat the process. Form the dough into a disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic, until firm, at least 1 hour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before rolling it out.