Pi Day - Apple Pie

And now for round two, my mom's recipe for apple pie! This recipe bakes up into a beautiful pie that is just the right amount of sweet without being overpowering.

Apple Pie

Ingredients

Pie crust - 2 crusts

- 2 c flour

- 2 tsp salt

- 2/3 c + 2 Tbs Crisco or shortening

- cold water

Apple Pie filling

- 4-6 firm, tart apples (Granny Smith, McIntosh, etc.), peeled and sliced

- 3/4 C. sugar

- 1/4 C. flour

- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (or a little more)

- dash of salt

- 2 Tb. butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F (for glass pans) or 400 F (for metal pans).

2. Prepare the bottom crust of one pie. Use the same directions as for the 1 crust pie, except at the end gather it into two balls instead of 1. Roll out one of the balls for the bottom crust (the other is for the top crust).

3. Prepare the apples; mix the dry ingredients and toss with the apple slices.  Put the coated apples in the pie pan lined with bottom crust.*

4. Dot the butter over the top.  Roll out the top crust; moisten the edge of the bottom crust with a little water on your fingertips; put on the top crust.  Trim edges; crimp.  Cut some holes in the top crust to let steam escape.  (Make it pretty!!) If your top crust doesn't roll out well enough to do one big sheet, you can also do a lattice top, which is more forgiving of the falling-apart pieces.

5. Bake 40-50 min. at 375 to 400 degrees (depending on your oven; I like 375 for glass pans).  Pie should be golden brown and smell delicious. Great hot or cold.

*It may look like a LOT of apples, but as it bakes they reduce in size by about half. I fill my pie shell pretty full so that my finished pie is still quite substantial.

Enjoy!