Delicious Classic Apple Pie

As many things as I have baked over the years, I have never made an Apple Pie. Well, I take that back- I have made my Mom's Apple Crumb Pie (which I will post soon), but never the classic apple pie with crust. As I was flipping through my November issue of Food Network Magazine, I saw a recipe for apple pie and knew I had to make this one. It was the bomb!!! When I made the filling, it filled the whole house with a wonderful aroma and I really had to fight to refrain from sitting down with a spoon to just eat the feeling- it is SO good! It's like a little slice of heaven! The apples I used for the filling were: 4 Golden Delicious, 2 McIntosh and 4 Pink Lady. Honestly, I have never ventured out to try the many apple varieties there are, but am glad I did! You can use the dough recipe listed or your favorite dough recipe (or store bought). Next time I am going to try a pretty lattice top crust :-)

Ingredients

FILLING

3 pounds mixed apples (Golden Delicious, McIntosh and Pink Lady)

2/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp all purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (so much better than the bottled kind)

DOUGH

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 large eggs

Directions

1. Prepare the filling: Peel, halve and core the apples. Cut each into wedges (I used my apple corer/slicer).
Place apple slices in a bowl and toss with the sugar and lemon juice in a bowl.

Melt 4 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apple mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the firmer apples begin to soften but still hold their shape (about 8-9 minutes). Add the flour, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the apples and toss until the juices begin to thicken (about 1 minute). Remove from heat and cool completely. *The filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.

*Be warned that it's hard to not dig in right here :-)

2. Make the dough: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the shortening and pulse until disappears, about 30 seconds. (*I do not have a food processor, so did this part with my hands). Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Beat 1 egg with 1/4 cup ICE water in a bowl, then add to the processor and pulse twice. (Stop pulsing before the dough gathers into a ball). Lay out 2 sheets of plastic wrap; divide dough between the sheets and pat each into a disk. Wrap the disks tightly and refrigerate at least one hour.

3. Roll 1 disk of dough into a 12 inch circle on a floured surface. Transfer this to a 9 1/2 inch deep dish glass pie plate. Add the filling, mounding it slightly and dot with 2 tbsp butter. chill the pie while you roll the remaining dough.

4. Roll the remaining dough and lay over the filling pressing the edges together. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp with fingers. Beat the remaining egg in a bowl and brush over the top crust; sprinkle with sugar. Pierce the top with a knife a few times to let steam escape. Chill for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the pie on a baking sheet; bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly, about 55-60 minutes. Cover the edges with foil if they are browing too quickly. Transfer to a rack and cool until set, about 2 hours.

ENJOY!