Apple Pie!

 

 

 

 

There is nothing more down home and comforting than "Apple Pie".  I guess that is where the saying "It's as American as Apple Pie" comes from!  It's really a fairly easy pie to make, but I do get asked about a recipe for it quite a bit, so I guess it's not something everyone already has.  This is my mother's recipe that she has made for years and it's got just the right blend of seasonings.   Here is what you will need:

 

 

Pie pastry for a two crust pie (use refrigerated or make your own)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of salt

6 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced (preferably Gala apples)

4 Tbs. butter

1 egg white

1 Tbs. sugar mixed with a pinch of cinnamon

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

 

Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt in a mixing bowl.  Add in the apples and toss together. 

 

Line a pie plate with one of the crusts.  Add the apple mixture.  Dot the top with the butter cut in thin slices.  

 

A lot of apple pie recipes call for Granny Smith apples, but we prefer a little sweeter baking apple like the Gala.  It still holds up for baking, but doesn't require as much sweetening.  If you do use Granny Smith's which are more tart, you might need to add a little more sugar.

 

Roll the other crust out and cut into 1/2 inch strips for making a lattice top crust.  Make sure to crimp the top crust pieces down to the edges of the pie plate so they don't rise up and come loose during baking.

 

Brush the top crust with egg white.  Sprinkle the top of the pie crust with the 1 Tbs. sugar mixed with the pinch of cinnamon.  Place on a cookie sheet for baking. 

 

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 30 more minutes. 

 

The top crust should be nice and brown. 

 

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!