We had a bumper crop of apples from our two backyard trees this year, so I went through all of my apple recipes and settled on a classic apple pie.  I like this recipe because it works great for large pies and “tart” sized pies.  As always, I used my standby Crisco pie crust recipe (#employee).

Ingredients

• Pie Crust
  • 2 Cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3/4 Cup Crisco shortening
  • 4-8 Tbsp cold water
• Pie Filling
  • 1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick)
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (packed)
  • 1/4 Cup Water
  • 3 Tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 8-10 Apples – cored, peeled and sliced (for one pie or two tarts)

Directions

1. I start by peeling and slicing the apples. My old school hand crank peeler also cores and spiral slices.  Then I just cut them into bite size pieces.  Place the apples pieces in a large bowl and add enough water to cover.  A splash of lemon juice in the water will slow down the browning process.  Set these aside and start the crust.
2. To make the crust, put the flour, salt and Crisco in a large bowl.  Use a pastry mixer or large fork to cut in the shortening (fancy kitchen speak for mixing the flour with the shortening).  If this is your first pie crust, check out the Crisco instructional video here.
3. Add the water 1 Tbsp at a time while gently stirring the mixture.  Add just enough water so that the dough holds together, but just barely.  You don’t want it too wet.  Divide the dough in half and form into balls.  Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes.  This step is key for have a flexible crust that rolls out perfectly.
4. After resting, roll out one of the balls to form the bottom crust.  You want it to be a little larger in diameter than your pie pan.  Place this crust in the pie pan and trim the edges.
5. Drain the water off your apple slices and place them into the pie crust.  You want the apples to mound up slightly above the top of the pie pan.  Sprinkle the cinnamon and the nut meg over the top of the apples.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 425F

   

7. Roll out the second ball of dough to form the top crust.  For apple pie I like the look of a lattice crust so I cut the second crust into strips about 1/2 inch wide. (instructional Crisco video here).  This also helps when adding the sauce (next step).  Press the edges down firmly into the bottom crust and trim off any scraps that overhang the edge.
8. Now its time to make that magic sauce!  Melt the butter over low heat in a small sauce pan.  Once melted stir in the sugar, brown sugar and flour. Finally, stir in the water.
9. Pour the warm sauce over the top of the pie slowly (yes, even over the lattice crust).  Place the pie on a baking sheet (they like to bubble over a little and you do not want that dripping in your oven).  If you are making two or three tart size pies instead of one large one, divide the sauce evenly between the smaller pies.

   

10. Put the tray with pie in the oven and bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
11. Without opening the oven door, turn down the oven temp to 350 and bake for another 40 minutes.  Ovens vary a little, so watch it the last few minutes.  When the apples look baked and the crust is nicely browned take it out.  You may need a little less or a little more than 40 minutes in your oven.
12. Let the pie cool, then enjoy! Great with vanilla ice cream. Refrigerate any left-over pie.  Keeps for several days covered in the fridge.
    

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