Serves 8 to 10

INGREDIENTS

• 8 to 10 tart pie apples (Granny Smith, Pink Lady, etc.)
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• ½ cup superfine sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice (or more to your taste)
• 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon finely ground minute tapioca pearls*
• Dough for a 2-crust pie, prepared
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water

*Crush and grind the tapioca pearls finely with a mortar and pestle or in a well-cleaned spice or coffee grinder.

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme water oven to 160F/71C.
2. Peel, core, and slice 7 of the apples thinly. Peel and coarsely grate the remaining apple. Save the peels.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the zest, sugar, salt, and apple pie spice until well blended.
4. Put the slices and grated apple into a large (gallon/0.9 liter) cooking pouch, add about 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice (or more if the apples are less tart). Add the sugar/spice mixture to the pouch, shake a bit to coat the slices, and vacuum seal. (Take care not to pull juice up into the sealing chamber if using a suction sealer.)
5. Put the peels into another pouch and vacuum seal them as well.
6. Submerge both pouches in the water oven to cook for an hour.
7. Remove both pouches and let cool for a few minutes.
8. Open a corner of both pouches and drain the pouch juices into a measuring cup and set aside at room temperature if proceeding (or in the refrigerator for up to a day if needed). You should have about 2 cups and if not, add a bit of water. Discard the peels and put the pouch of slices into the refrigerator for a couple of hours (or until ready to proceed).
9. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate (deep dish works best) with the bottom crust and refrigerate while you proceed.
10. On the stovetop, melt the butter in a saucepan (large enough to hold the apples) over medium heat.
11. Whisk the ground tapioca into the reserved pouch liquid and add that liquid to the melted butter, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. When it thickens and turns from cloudy to somewhat dark and clearer, remove it from the heat and add the apple slices, folding over and over to coat them.
12. Turn the apples out into the chilled bottom crust.
13. Prepare the top crust: use a small cookie cutter or a knife to cut several vent holes in it, cut into strips and basketweave it, or whatever suits your taste. Then place it on the top of the apples and securely crimp the edges all around to seal.
14. Put the pie into the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes.
15. Meanwhile, preheat the traditional oven to 425F/215C.
16. In a small bowl, make the egg wash by whisking together the egg and water.
17. Remove the pie from the freezer, brush the top crust evenly with the egg wash.
18. Bake the pie on the lowest rack of the oven for 15 minutes. Cover the edges with foil or a pie crust shield and continue to bake for another 40 minutes until the crust is nicely colored.
19. Remove to a rack to cool to room temperature and settle before serving.