Apple Roses Pie.....lovely and delicious!

This pie is inspired by a photo and picture of an apple rose pie found online on a Russian blog!  I did a google translation on the Russian recipe (which was spotty) and had enough info to do a trial run on my own.  Here is my first attempt at a quickly version of the pie.  I think this would be perfect for a bridal shower, at an Easter brunch, or really anytime you want a lovely as well as delicious dessert.

The Quickie Version:

Crust:

One refrigerated crust of your choice.  Let the crust roll sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling it out into a 9 inch pie pan, preferably glass or pottery (not metal).  Lightly dust the pan with flour prior to placing the crust.  Add a light dusting of flour on top of the crust as well.  Cover with cling wrap and set in the refrigerator.

Filling:

1 Box (the large size) of Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding!  Make it with only 2.5 cups of cold milk (OR make it with 2.5 cups of Half and Half)  Whisk it for two minutes, cover and put in the fridge.

The Apple Roses:

5 (or so) apples of your choice (good for baking - this pie has granny smith and gala)

Use a vegetable peeler to make strips of apple, leaving a bit of peel on some.  This takes a little practice - by the end of your first pie, you will be making long, lovely strips!  Do not be tempted to do it with a knife - the strips will be too thick to wrap and will take too long to cook.  

Assemble:

Preheat oven to 350f.

Spoon the pudding into the pie crust.

Roll the strips of apple into roses and place them in the pie (the base will hold the rose in place!)  You can add more apple pieces to the roses as you go. Pack them in as densely as you wish.  Here is a picture of the pie one step away from the oven:

Glaze:

Take some apricot preserves or jelly.  Heat a tablespoon or two until just warm.  Brush this over the apples gently so you do not disturb the roses too much.  Avoid the apricot chunks if you are using preserves (the picture at the top has a few too many chunks).

Put in the oven for about 30-35 minutes.  Check for golden edges on the crust.  Let rest after you pull it out.  Chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat.    

Enjoy!

I will post the recipe with the filling and crust from scratch this weekend - I did not like the last filling and am doing some tweaks to the recipe before posting.  And thanks to "Delicious with Jolien" for the inspriration!!

http://yoli-www.blogspot.com/2011/10/blog-post_18.html