Apple Pie

"As American as apple pie." What does that mean? I guess it really is a very "American" desert. Australian's idea of pie usually includes some type of meat, not fruit. It's been a long time since I've had apple pie. What better way to remedy my homesickness than this classic American desert?
Enjoy!


Apple Pie

Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, cut into 1 inch cubes and chilled
• 1/4 cup shortening
• chilled6-8 tbsp ice water
  

Filling:

• 6-8 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I like a tart apple like Granny smith.)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Cut in butter and shortening with a pastry cutter until mixture is coarse and no chunks larger than a big pea remain. Add water and press dough into a ball with the palms of your hands.Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour and spices. Add apples and toss until apples are coated. Pour melted butter over the top of apples and stir until well combined. Set aside until pie crust is ready.

Divide dough in half. Place one piece between two large pieces of baking or parchment paper. This is different than the old school way of doing it where you would roll it out on a floured surface. Adding more flour to the dough may create a tougher crust and prevent it from being light and flaky. Keep rolling until the dough circle is about 1 1/2-inches wider in diameter than the rim of the pie dish (hold dish over flat crust to check size). Dough for top crust doesn't need to be quite as large, only 1/2-1 inch larger than the pie dish. Gently lay the bottom crust into the dish. Fill pie dish with apple filling. Roll the second piece of dough out like the first, but use a small cookie cutter to cut a small, simple shape out of the middle to let air escape while baking. Lay top crust on top of filling and pinch edges to seal. Bake pie at 425 F (220 C) for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F (175 C) and bake for a further 30-35 mins, or until juices are oozing from the pie’s vent. Let pie cool for at least 1 1/2 hours before slicing to allow juices to thicken and pie filling to set.