Double-Crust Apple Pie

Method

1. Pulse the flour, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Add the frozen butter and pulse 8 to 10 times, until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Those visible butter pieces steam apart into flaky layers; butter worked to cornmeal gives you a crumbly, cookie-like crust.
2. Drizzle in the ice water and pulse 5 or 6 more times, just until the dough holds together when squeezed in your fist. Divide into two disks, one slightly larger, wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 1 hour so the flour hydrates and the gluten relaxes.
3. Toss the sliced apples with the 3/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let them sit 45 minutes, tossing twice. They will shed about 3/4 cup of liquid — this is the step that prevents the hollow dome you get when raw apples collapse under a baked lid.
4. Drain the apples over a bowl. Simmer the collected juice in a small saucepan over medium-high for 4 to 5 minutes, until reduced to about 1/3 cup and syrupy. Whisk the cornstarch into the cooled syrup, then toss it back through the apples.
5. Roll the larger disk into a 13-inch round on a floured counter, working from the center outward and rotating a quarter turn every few passes. Drape it into a 9-inch pie plate and settle it into the corners without stretching — stretched dough shrinks back down the sides as it bakes.
6. Pack the apples in tightly, mounding them slightly and pressing down to eliminate air gaps. Roll the second disk to 11 inches, lay it over the top, trim to a 1-inch overhang, tuck the edge under the bottom crust and crimp firmly. Cut four 2-inch vents through the center.
7. Freeze the assembled pie 30 minutes. Meanwhile heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the lower third and a sheet pan on it. A cold pie hitting a hot pan sets the crust before the butter can leak out.
8. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake on the preheated sheet pan at 425°F for 25 minutes, until the crust is set and pale gold.
9. Drop the oven to 375°F and bake 40 to 50 minutes more, until the crust is deep brown all over — pale crust means raw-tasting flour — and juices bubble thickly and slowly through the vents. Tent with foil if the edges darken too fast.
10. Cool at least 4 hours on a rack before slicing. Cutting a warm pie releases filling that has not set, and the slice slumps onto the plate.