Apple Pie

Apple Pie..Oh how I love it, hot and with a little ice cream..So good!!  This recipe is the one I always make for the holidays.  But who says you have to wait until the holidays to enjoy some apple pie.  Growing up in my house we always had some kind of pie in the refrigerator, either an apple pie, a lemon meringue pie or coconut custard pie, it was always pie.  Today I'm going to show you how to make the pie dough and the apple pie.  Super easy.

  

Pastry Dough Ingredients:

This recipe makes two crusts for the top and bottom of the apple pie.

2 cup of all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup plus 1 tbsp shortening

4 to 6 tbsp of cold water

In a medium bowl, mix flour and salt.  Cut in shortening, using pastry blender or a fork, until the mixtures resembles small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tbsp at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl. You can add 1 to 2 teaspoons of water if necessary.

Divide pastry dough in half and shape each piece into a round ball and flattened on lightly floured surface.
Refrigerate for 45 minutes or until dough is cold and firm, yet pliable.  This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky.

Now lets roll the pastry dough on lightly floured surface, using a rolling pin into a circle, enough to cover the pie baking dish. Pick up the dough over rolling pin and place over pie baking dish. Now is ready for the apple pie mixture.  Roll the second pie dough for the top of the pie and have it ready.

Now lets start the apple mixture for the pie.  I recommend using Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples for this pie.  Let's start!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

dash of salt

6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (6 medium size apples)

2 tbsp butter

2 tsp of water

1 tbsp sugar

Heat oven to 425 Degree F

Reduce after 15 minutes to 350 Degree F

In a large bowl mix together 1/2 cup sugar, the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in apples. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate.  Cut butter into small pieces, sprinkle over apples. Cover with top pastry dough, cut slits into it. Seal the edges.

Brush top crust with 2 teaspoons of water and sprinkle with 1 tbsp off sugar.  Cover the edges of the pie with foil to prevent excessive browning.  Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is nice and golden brown and the juices begins to bubble through the slits in crust.  Enjoy with ice cream!!