Apple pie…

As I’ve mentioned before, cooking for one is no fun.  So, the only time I truly enjoy cooking these days is when I have my daughter and her family over for Sunday dinner after church.  Two weeks ago, I prepared a really nice dinner of baked ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, spinach & strawberry salad and homemade biscuits.  Dessert was the delicious apple pie pictured below.

My granddaughters (ages 9 & 13) helped me prepare the salad and biscuits.  They love being in the kitchen and that’s a good thing.  I had made a 10″ homemade apple pie the night before and it turned out very well.  This is an excellent recipe.  In place of the spices in the recipe, I used 2 teaspoons of Tones Apple Pie spice.  It was delicious!  It was such a large pie, even after serving all of us, I sent half of it home with them!

Now, I’m looking forward to cooking Easter dinner for them this Sunday…

Perfect Apple Pie

Recipe for double crust pastry: 

2 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut up

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

5-6 tablespoons+ cold water

Sift together the flour and salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut the butter and shortening into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Slowly add the water stirring with a fork…until the dough holds together.  Handle the dough “gently” so the crust does not become “tough”.  Divide the dough in half.  Sprinkle flour on to a pastry board or cloth and roll out the bottom crust.  Add your fruit mixture and then your top crust.

Apple Pie filling:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

4 tart apples (like Granny Smith)

4 sweet apples (like McIntosh)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 up firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 granulated sugar

1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon cold water mixed

(If you have Tones Apple Pie Spice, you can substitute 2 teaspoons of that for the spices above)

Peel, core and slice the apples into a bowl.  Toss the apples with the lemon juice.

Combine the flour, sugars and spices.  Sprinkle over the apple slices and combine well.

Spoon the apple mixture into the bottom crust.  Cut up the 2 tablespoons of butter and scatter around on the apple slices.

Place the rolled-out top crust on the pie.  Fold the top edges of the pastry over and under the bottom crust.  Crimp the edges to seal.  Cut slits in the top crust.  Combine egg and water and use pastry blush to glaze over crust.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 425 degrees THEN

*reduce* the temperature to 375 degrees.

Bake until the filling is bubbly and the pie crust is golden – about 30 minutes more.  Ovens will vary.

Enjoy!