This apple pie is an incredibly gorgeous dessert, with raspberries, an almond crust with sesame seeds, a lattice top, and a juicy ruby filling. It's a delicious way to use your sweet summer berries, but it also works great with frozen raspberries. You can also use your favorite traditional pie crust for a more classic pie.
Unique and gorgeous fruit pie
This twist on a classic apple pie is worth trying.
I posted this more than a decade ago when, together with a group of bloggers, I made the same recipe and posted our results. This was called a crostata, which can be Italian for lattice pie.
The word crostata can also be used for a galette, a free-form fruit tart in which no pie pan is used. You can also make this pie that way, using a traditional pie crust and without lining the dish or making a lattice crust. Much easier!
The crust has sesame seeds and is very interesting, not only in flavor but also in texture. More crumbly than sturdier doughs, it adds an unexpected earthy flavor that beautifully complements the acidity and sweetness of the filling.
It's a more sophisticated option to the apple raspberry crumble bars or this festive apple pie with cranberries with a classic crust I make for the holidays whenever I can get cranberries, as they're not common here.
Sesame dough
Though I have added this and that to doughs before, this one has sesame seeds, an ingredient I often use but never in this way.
Let me tell you about the crunchiness the seeds generate after the pie is baked! It turned out to be a fantastic idea.
- The dough is much more rustic than regular traditional flaky dough. That means it will break more and you'll need to handle it differently because of that. I find it easier to line the pan in parts, which is no issue, really, since pie dough can be patched up easily.
- Keep it cold until you need to roll it. Then refrigerate the lined pan for 30 minutes, or better yet, freeze it for 15 minutes before baking. It's easier and faster.
Lattice top crust
I recommend you roll it, cut it on a board and take it back to the fridge for a few minutes for it to harden and lift up easily. That way, you'll end up with fewer broken strips. If that happens, they can be patched together. Look at my lattice and see how it is patched up. And then feel like you can't make a more rustic or irregular lattice, lol!
Or omit stripes and go all-in with stars, hearts, braids, and so on. Whatever is your jam.
Food processor pie crust
I made this dough in the food processor from beginning to end, as I do with most doughs. You can make it by hand, in a bowl with a pastry cutter.
It comes together in a few minutes. It needs to be refrigerated before rolling it and fitting it into the pan. This is because it uses all butter and also because the dough needs to relax after the stress of being swirled in the processor.
And it turned out to be slightly crumbly like a peanut butter cookie dough sometimes is.
But no biggie-just patch it up if it breaks while trying to fit it into the pie plate. You won't have to use pie weights or pre-bake it, so the dough will not shrink. The whole thing is assembled-raw dough and cooked ruby-colored filling-and then chilled before going into the oven.
Apple raspberry filling
Mixing apples and raspberries was a last-minute idea because I didn't want to make an apple pie. I wanted it to be more colorful and add something different, the same way the sesame was already contributing to the crust.
Well, it was a winning combination! The color is fantastic, and the two fruits work wonders together.
The amounts in the recipe can be varied, more of this or less of that. Consider the liquid in them, especially if the raspberries are frozen.
What else can I tell you about this crostata? Oh yes, it tastes as good as it looks. So I hope you feel it looks that way.
Pan variations
- Make individual pies.
- Make a galette in a pie plate. Galette, or free-form pie, means that the dough isn't fitted into a pan. That sounds counterintuitive, but what I mean is to use the pie dish as a container because the dough is crumbly. Don't make a lattice or care about the sides. Simply fold the hanging dough inward over some of the filling. If it leaks, you on a pie plate.
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Apple Raspberry Pie (Crostata)
Ingredients
For the dough:
- ¾ cup whole almonds
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
For the filling:
- 1 pound Granny Smith apples, about 5, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
- ½ pound raspberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest, packed
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
For the dough:
- Lightly toast ¾ cup whole almonds and ½ cup sesame seeds, being careful not to burn them. Let them cool. You can use them raw, but toasting develops a great flavor.
- Food processor: put both in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and add 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Process until medium ground.
- Add the rest of the sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon salt and process until well blended.
- Scatter cold, diced 1 cup unsalted butter on top and process until it looks like coarse sand.
- Mix 2 large eggs in a bowl with ½ teaspoon vanilla and add to the flour mixture.
- Process until it starts to come together, about 10 to 15 seconds. Don't let it turn into a ball.
- By hand: follow the same process as with the food processor, but mix ingredients in a bowl. Integrate the butter with your hands or a dough cutter.
- For both ways: transfer the shaggy mass onto a lightly floured counter.
- Gather into a ball touching the dough as little as possible. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or more.
To assemble:
- When the filling is cooling, take the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into two uneven pieces (⅔ and ⅓). Keep the smaller piece refrigerated and covered while you roll the other one.
- Roll the large piece to about ¼ of an inch with a lightly floured rolling pin, using additional flour to prevent sticking.
- Transfer it to a 9-inch (24cm) pie plate with a removable bottom. It is best to make it fit in the pan without stretching it, removing excess dough. As this dough is very crumbly, you may need to patch it or do it in parts.
- Add the filling and spread to cover the whole pan.
- Roll the small piece of dough on a lightly floured surface and cut strips with a pizza cutter.
- Make a lattice top crust over the filling, adding strips one way and then the other. Press where the strips meet the bottom dough to adhere.
- Freeze the assembled pie for 10-15 minutes (or refrigerate for 30 minutes if you have no other option).
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180°C).
- Take the pie from the freezer, sprinkle 2 tablespoons light brown sugar on top of the lattice, and bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden and the filling is bubbly.
- Let cool completely on wire rack. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream if you want to. Refrigerate leftovers, covered.
For the filling:
- In a large saucepan, put 1 pound Granny Smith apples, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon butter and cook over low heat until butter melts and fruit begins to release their juices, about 5 minutes. Add ½ pound raspberries and stir lightly. Remove from the heat as soon as it bubbles again.
- If not using immediately, keep refrigerated, covered, for a few days.
Notes
Adapted from Baking with Julia, by Dorie Greenspan
The Ninja Baker says
LOL. Sometimes I am a Neurotic Nelly but I'm also smart enough to learn from the best bakers in the blogosphere like you! Grazie, too, Paula for enhancing my Italian vocabulary. I can now add crostata =)
P.s. Once again, I've pinned your mouthwatering photos =)
steph- whisk/spoon says
beautifully rustic- I love it! and good idea to swap the figs for apples. I bet it was really tasty!
Anne ~ Uni Homemaker says
Oh wow, that's a beautiful and vibrant looking crostata! I love the raspberry and apple combination. Can I have a slice with my coffee please? 😉 Gorgeous!
cquek says
oh my gosh, I soooo need these!
Jora says
I'd love to see the recipe for the upside-down pear ginger cake. It sounds incredible! I really liked this crust, too. More complex than most, in the best way.
Deb says
What a scrumptious post! From the aromatic filling to the stunning crust and splendid photos, I adore this crostata!
BTW: Pie and ice cream both require food blogger patience....LOL
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says
Haha yes, #foodbloggerproblems. The other day, I had to drink a glass of scotch in the afternoon. Also a tough day 😉
Cher Rockwell says
Your raspberry apple version looks delicious. I loved the dough for this one - it was so unique.
Tough, tough, tough when we have to eat a warm slice of dessert. I hope you survived...
arthur-in-the-garden.com says
Yummy!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Sigh, the things food bloggers are forced to do, right Paula? 😉 Lol. There have been many times when I've plated something that isn't anywhere near serving just because I need to photograph and blog about it (usually because I'm rushing at the last minute for Sunday Supper posts!). Your crostata looks glorious - crispy, crunchy, fruity perfection. I'm glad that you don't have a "perfect" lattice top - it looks amazing as is.
Pink Patisserie says
That looks lush. Just lovely Paula. And your right, sometimes we have to suffer for our art. 🙂 Someone has to do it!
Liz Berg says
Oh, boy, your raspberries provide a magnificent color! Beautiful tweak!!!
Cathleen says
The dough was an interesting combination. I loved the earthiness flavor it had. It is a great feeling to use up what is on hand - does not happen here often enough! Beautiful photos.
smarkies says
It looks lovely! I thought the dough on this was really interesting and delicious.
Karen @ Lemon Grove Cake Diaries says
Great minds think alike with the flavours 🙂 Yours looks wonderful! We ate ours cold which was good but I wish I had also eaten some while it was still hot, it would have been magnificent with some cinnamon ice cream melting over the top!
Henneke says
Sounds and looks absolutely delicious, Paula. I'd say it might even be better still warm!
easyfoodsmith says
The pie is lovely indeed and that crumbly texture sounds good to me.
Angie Schneider says
A very beautiful rustic tart, Paula. I wouldn't need any icing sugar on top either.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
This crostata looks wonderful and if it tastes anything like it looks, I want one.
Hester @ Alchemy in the Kitchen says
Oh you poor dear having to sample this pie while it was still warm. I can help you out if you like! I love that you adapted the filling to use up the fruit you had to hand. Delicious!