Apple Pie

Tweet

Pin It

Everyone has a apple pie recipe that they think is the best......well, this is the best ...for real!! All American apple pie!

Mom requested a apple pie for her 99th birthday! DONE! I bought Granny Smith apples and Gala apples mixed together with the most amazing pie crust you'll ever lay your lip on!! Now, for the naysayers...lard mmmmm well, divide the 8 tablespoons in the dough into the 8 plus pieces versus, a tuff non flakey crust. I pick flakey and the butter adds flavor! 

This pie is KILLER!!



Apple Pie

Pastry

2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
8 T lard or Crisco chilled
4 T unsalted butter, chilled
1/3-1/2 c ice water

Food Processor method-

Put the flour, sugar and salt into the work bowl. Pulse a couple times.

Cut the cold butter and lard into very small pieces and add to the bowl. Process until the misture resembles coarse meal; about ten seconds.

Add the ice water and pulse just enough until the dough holds together, do not over work, do not let it form a ball. Remove the lid, squeeze the dough between your fingers; it should hold together. If crumbly, add another tablespoon of water.

Making the pastry by hand-

Combine flour, salt and sugar together in a large bowl.

Cut the butter and lard into small pieces and add to the flour.

With a pastry cutter or fork, blend the butter into the flout ntil the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Sprinkle the water over the flour mixture and blend again using the pastry cutter/fork.


Gather into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, flatten into a circle. Refrigerate for one hour.

Filling-

4 lb. apples, mixture of granny smith and gala
4 T. unsalted butter
zest of 1 lemon
2-3 T. lemon juice
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon 

In a large saute pan, melt the butter and saute the apples for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Toss apples with lemon zest and juice. Mix flour, sugar and cinnamon and toss with apples. Cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 400 F

Roll out slightly more than half of the pastry, between two sheets of plastic wrap. Ease into the pie plate without stretching the dough as this will cause shrinkage.

Fill the pastry with the apple filling. Roll out remaining pastry and cover apples. Seal edges, cut off excess pastry, and crimp. Brush the top with half and half, sprinkle with sugar if desired. Cut vents into the top. I cut a apple and placed in the center of the pie.

Bake on the lowest rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 F and bake for another 35-40 minutes. Should top brown too much, cover with foil.

Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

Serve warm or at room temperature. I served with vanilla bean ice cream.