Apple Pie

My favorite way to get new recipes is by browsing the cooking section at the library.  I discovered this one for apple pie last year in the book Apple Pie Perfect: 100 Delicious and Decidedly Different Recipes for America's Favorite Pie by Ken Haedrich.  He has zillions of different apple pie recipes, including the old fashioned simple apple pie, which is my favorite.  They are very straight forward and don't require much (if any) experience or understanding of pies, though, of course, they turn out better if you do.  My favorite is My Mom and Dad's Brown Sugar Apple Pie, which requires the All-American Double Crust.  Below are his recipes for hand mixing (he does have different directions for a food processor, but I don't have one), with my commentary in purple.

All-American Double Crust

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup cold water

1. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  I don't ever bake with salt, so I skipped the salt, and it still tastes delicious.  If you usually add the salt, keep doing it, but I personally don't.  Toss well, by hand, to mix.  
2. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients; toss.  Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour until it is broken into pieces the size of split peas.  Add the shortening and continue to cut until all of the fat is cut into small pieces.  
3. Sprinkle half of the water over the dry mixture; toss well with a fork to dampen the mixture.  Add the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to toss and mix, pulling the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl on the upstroke and gently pressing down on the downstroke.  Pastry made by hand often needs a bit more water, so add it 1 to 2 table spoons at a time--if it seems necessary--until the pastry can be packed.  I had to add quite a bit of water.  Don't get crazy with it, but the dough has to be able to form balls and eventually be rolled out, so don't be too stingy on the water.  
4. Form the pastry into 2 balls.  Make one ball slightly larger than the other; this will be your bottom crust.  Knead each ball once or twice, then flatten the balls into 3/4-inch-thick disks on a floured work surface.  I prefer to work on lightly-floured wax paper.  Less cleanup and less sticking.  Dough hates me, and sticks to everything.  Just be very stingy with flour.  The more flour you add and the more you handle it, the tougher it becomes.  Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hour before rolling.  About 10 minutes before rolling, transfer the pastry to the freezer to make it even firmer.

While that's cooling, you'll want to peel and slice your apples.  When the hour's up....

My Mom and Dad's Brown Sugar Apple Pie
8 cups peeled, cored, and sliced McIntosh apples
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1. On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the larger portion of pastry into a 13-1/2-inch circle with a floured rolling pin.  Again, I hate dough.  I lay a piece of wax paper down, sprinkle flour, then sprinkle a bit more flour on top of the dough and place another sheet of wax paper.  THEN I roll it out, between the two sheets so that the rolling pin doesn't touch the dough.  I've found this is easier, less mess, and makes the dough smoother.  Invert the pastry over a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.  Center it, then peel off the paper.  Gently tuck the pastry into the pan without stretching it, and let the overhang drape over the edge of the pan.  Refigerate.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. While the pie shell chills, make the filling.  Combine the apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl; toss well.  Set aside while you roll the top pastry.
3. On another sheet of lightly floured wax paper, roll the other half of the pastry into an 11-1/2-inch circle.  Turn the filling into the refrigerated pie shell, smoothing the apples with your hands.  Dot the top of the pie with the butter, dropping pieces here and there over the apples.
4. Lightly moisten the rim of the pie shell with a wet finger or pastry brush.  Invert the top pastry over the filling, center it, and peel off the paper.  Press the top and bottom pastries together along the tampened edge.  Trim the pastry with scissors or a paring knife, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang all around, then sculpt the overhand into an upstanding ridge.  Make 2-inch-long slits in the top pastry at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions; the bottom of each slit should just reach the edge of the pie.  Lightly brush the top pastry with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
5. Place the pie directly on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the pie from the oven and place it on a large, dark baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.  I try this, but my pie starts bubbling over immediately and I get pie juice on the bottom of my oven (no good).  So I have to use the baking sheet from the beginning.  Try it his way, but be prepared with your baking sheet.  Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Put the pie on the baking sheet back in the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes.  When pie is done, you should be able to see the juices bubbling up onto the crust.
6. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. 

And there you have it, folks!  It's not too difficult, but it is time consuming.  I usually read recipes as simple guidelines and branch off on my own, but as you can see, I stuck pretty close to his recipe.  The only issue I have with it is my top crust is slightly harder than I'd like (which may be my fault).  My dad said he thought the filling was slightly too dry, but I think he's nuts.  So try it for yourself and tell me what you think!  Enjoy!