Deep-dish pies are simply covered fruit pies baked without a bottom crust. Despite their name, these pies should be baked in dishes that are relatively wide and shallow rather than narrow and deep, so that there is enough crust in relation to fruit. The 10-inch Pyrex dishes made expressly for deep-dish piesΓÇöthey lack the flared rim of ordinary pie pansΓÇöare serviceable for recipes made with up to 6 cups fruit. For pies with more generous fillings, choose a glass or ceramic casserole.
Any fruit pie in this chapter can be baked as a deep-dish pie. Since the filling need not be firm enough to sliceΓÇödeep-dish pies are served with a spoonΓÇöyou can decrease the thickening by up to half. For the top crust, use a half recipe of any flaky pastry dough, or a full recipe of Flaky Cream Cheese Pastry Dough. Roll the dough the same shape as, but a little wider than, the top of the dish, lay it over the filling, and tuck the edges against the inside of the dish. Cut steam vents in the top. If you wish, sprinkle the crust with sugar or glaze with an egg yolk beaten with 1/8 teaspoon water. Set the pie on a baking sheet and bake in the center of a preheated 375┬░F oven until the crust is nicely browned and juices bubble through the vents, about 1 hour.
