Apple Pie
There’s nothing as all-American as apple pie, but don’t be tempted to make this for your 4th of July celebration, because if you do, you’ll most certainly be using apples shipped all the way from the Southern Hemisphere. Apples are not in season in North America until late summer and fall.
Ingredients
Instructions
Prepare one recipe for a 9 inch double pie crust.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and have a 9 inch pie plate at the ready.
In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, and spices. Add the measured fruit and stir to coat with the sugar mixture.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll one of the rounds into an approximate 12 inch circle. Fit the dough into the pie plate.
Pour the fruit filling into the bottom pastry, and dot with the butter.
Roll out the second disc of pie dough into an approximate 11 inch circle. Place this top crust over the filled pie. Pierce the edges of the top and bottom crusts together with the tines of a fork. Trim the edge of the crust along the edge of the pie plate. Flute the edges, and cut slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape while baking.
Place the pie on top of a baking sheet and bake on the middle to lower rack of the preheated oven at 425 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Check the pie after 20 minutes and cover the edges with a pie shield or foil to keep the edges from getting too dark. The pie is done when the crust is lightly browned and the filling bubbles through the slits in the top crust.
Granny Smith is my favorite variety for apple pie and is readily available. Good pie apples are flavorful, crisp (not mealy) and may be tart. Ideally, they keep their structure and don’t turn into mush when baked. Other good varieties are Jonathan, Jonagold, and Braeburn. Ask at the farmers market if you are unsure of a particular variety. Also, it is perfectly fine to mix more than one kind of apple.
