Celebrate the release of the latest iPad with a slick, innovative & delicious:

Apple piPad

A large 11" x 16" apple pie adorned with a smooth white chocolate "touch" screen.

Step 1: Ingredients

Chocolate Touch Screen

2 1/2 lb of white chocolate
powdered food coloring
toothpicks or paint brushes
wax paper
double boiler
mixing bowls
10"x15" cookie sheet

Apple Pie
(Double this recipe)
3 cu of all purpose flour
1/2 cu unsalted butter
1/2 cu shortening
4-6 Tb water
1/2 tsp salt

8 Macintosh (!) apples
1/4 cu brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg

11"x16" cookie sheet

Step 2: Designing the Pie

To design the pie, I grabbed an image of an iPad from the internet and manipulated it using Adobe Photoshop. Icons were reorganized based on feasibility and a spiffy background was inserted. Finally, the threshold and black levels were adjusted leading to a black & white outline of the image. This was printed out onto a sheet of blank paper, according to the size of the cookie sheet I intended to use (10" x 15"). Remember the image should be reversed (mirror image).

Next, take the printout and tape it into position on the cookie sheet. Using a sheet of wax paper, completely cover the image and secure into place with tape.

Step 3: Preparing the White Chocolate

Using a double boiler to avoid scorching, melt the white chocolate. I used a smaller pot sitting inside a larger pot since I do not own a double boiler.
Tempering the chocolate increases its strength and also results in a nice glossy coat. To temper the chocolate, place 2/3 of the chocolate into the double boiler and melt to a temperature of 110F. Once this temperature is reached, add the remaining 1/3 of chocolate to bring the temperature down to ~84F. Finally, replace the pot of chocolate to the heat for a few seconds to bring the temperature back up to 87F. Do not exceed 87F.

Step 4: Painting the Screen

Because chocolate does not mix with water, liquid food coloring will not lead to presentable results. Instead a powdered food coloring will have to be used. To mix colors I simply placed some white chocolate into a ceramic bowl and added food coloring until the desired shade was attained. To keep the chocolate warm, place the ceramic bowl into another larger bowl with a bit of warm water. Otherwise, if the chocolate hardens it can be softened by placing it into this warm water bath or by nuking it in the microwave for 10s. Expect a continual dance of mixing, melting, remixing, remelting, etc.

Start with finer details (such as lettering or the icons) and then work step-wise until you get to painting the background. I did not have any suitable paint brushes so I used toothpicks. Remember to let the finer details harden before adding the next layer. To expedite this process, the sheet can be placed into the freezer for a few moments. Keep working at the image until the image background is complete. Finally, pour the remaining white chocolate into the pan covering everything. gently tap the bottom to encourage and bubbles to rise to the surface. Place the whole thing into the freezer to harden. Leave to freeze for at least 30 min.

Step 5: Make the Apple Pie

Mixing the dough

In a large bowl, sift the flour and salt. Cut in the fat until you get a coarse sand-like texture. Mix in the water until the dough starts to form into a ball. Using plastic wrap, cover the dough and let sit for at least 15 min.

During this time, peel and cut the apples into 1/2" cubes. In a large bowl, mix the apples with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, a squeeze of lemon, and a dash of flour. Let sit for 5 min to allow the apples to soften.

Cut half the dough and place one half aside. On a floured surface, roll out one half of the dough until it is 1 - 2" larger than the 11"x16" cookie sheet on all sides. Place the rolled out dough into the bottom of the sheet. Roll out the other half of dough to roughly 1" lager than the cookie sheet on all sides. Spread the apple filling all over the bottom dough and place the top dough over the filling. Crimp the ends in form a lip that extends ~1/2" up the side of the pan. Cut holes into the top crust to allow air to escape.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Bake the pie for 30min until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.