Rustic Little Apple Pies*
PASTRY
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick cold butter, cut small
1 Tbsp freshly grated orange peel
1/4 cup ice water
3 small Golden Delicious apples
3 Tbsp sliced natural (with skin) almonds
3 Tbsp granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
6 tsp fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp stick butter, cut small
Garnish: confectioners' sugar
To make pastry in food processor: Put flour, butter and orange peel in processor; pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add water all at once; pulse just until dough begins to leave sides of bowl.
To make pastry by hand: Put flour in a bowl and cut in butter with a pastry blender until coarse crumbs form. Add peel and water; stir with a fork until mixture clumps together and a dough forms.
Gather into a ball, flatten and cut in 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a bowl, flatten, then place each between sheets of plastic wrap. Roll each with a rolling pin to a 6-inch diameter circle (circles don't have to be perfect). Refrigerate while preparing remaining ingredients.
Peel apples, halve, then core with a melon baller. Cut wedges to remove stem and bud ends. Turn halves cut side down and slice thin.
Heat oven to 425 F. Have a large baking sheet ready.
One at a time, remove dough circles from refrigerator. Peel off plastic and place dough circle on baking sheet. Leaving a 1- to 1 1/2-inch border, fan apple slices overlapping on dough. Sprinkle with 1/2 Tbsp each almonds and sugar mixture and 1 tsp orange juice. Fold edges of pastry over apples. Repeat to form 5 more pies. Dot apples with butter.
Bake 10 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake 25-30 minutes more until pastry is lightly browned and apples are tender. Remove pies to wire rack to cool until just warm. Just before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar.
Prep Time: 1 hr 20 minutes
Makes 6. Per pie: 341 cal, 4 g pro, 36 g carb, 2 g fiber, 21 g fat (12 g sat)