Desserts

Lucinda's Old-Fashioned Apple Pie

Makes 1 Double Crusted 10 Inch Pie

This is my husband’s absolute favorite pie. He even prefers it to birthday cake. To qualify as a great apple pie, the mixture of apples should create a combined sweet-tart flavor balance. I like to use half tart and half sweet, and the apples should retain some structure when cooked. This old-fashioned apple pie isn’t overly spiced, as I like to taste the apples first and foremost. Cook your pie long enough for the filling to fully bake and thicken. Let it sit and settle before cutting. Served slightly warm with the best vanilla ice cream, it’s heaven. Or serve it with a wedge of cheddar cheese, like we did when I was a kid.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons lemon juice
8 apples (4 tart, 4 sweet)
1 Basic Pie Dough
1/4 cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons for sprinkling
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Position the racks in the center of the oven and in the lower third.
2. Squeeze the lemon juice into a large bowl. Peel, quarter, core, and thinly slice one apple at a time. Toss the slices in the lemon juice to prevent browning. Repeat with each apple.
3. On a well-floured surface, roll out one piece of dough to about 12 inches in diameter and lay it in the bottom of a standard 10-inch pie plate. Trim the edges of the dough flush with the edge of the pie plate’s rim.
4. Add the 1/4 cup sugar, the flour, cinnamon, cloves, and salt to the apples and toss to coat. Pile the apples into the dough-lined pie plate. Dot with butter.
5. Roll out the top crust to a diameter of 12 inches. Lay it over the apples. Trim the edge of the top crust so it hangs over the bottom crust by at least 3/4 inch. Tuck the top crust under the bottom and roll it under all around. Pinch it together to close. Crimp the edges with fingers or press with a fork. Chill the pie for a few minutes.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and milk. Cut a few slits in the crust top to allow steam to escape during baking. Brush the egg mixture evenly over the whole crust, being careful not to block the slits. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar.
7. Place a cookie sheet on the lower rack to catch any overflowing juices from the pie. Place the pie on the center rack and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and there is a sign of bubbling juices. Cool on a wire cooling rack for at least 1 hour. Slice and serve.

cook's note

How to roll out dough: Rub fl our over a rolling pin. Place the dough disk on a clean, well-floured surface. Applying some pressure with the rolling pin, roll gently from the center of the dough to the top and bottom edges. Rotate the disk and roll to the top and bottom edges again. Turn the dough over, re-fl our the surface and rolling pin, and continue to roll the dough from the center out to the edges. Turn over and roll again, rotating the disk to assure even rolling until the dough is about 12 inches in diameter and thin but not transparent. Roll dough up on rolling pin to transport to pie tin.

Apples So many wonderful varieties are available at the farmers’ market and even at the plain old grocery store. Here are some good baking choices: • Sweet: Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, McIntosh, Gala, Fuji • Tart: Granny Smith, Cortland, Winesap, Pippin • Sweet and tart: Empire, Braeburn, Honey Crisp, Jonagold, Northern Spy.

pantry

Need help with the ingredients? Check our pantry list: