"Sweet as Apple Pie"

There is nothing better than a warm homemade slice of Apple Pie. Lets face it, when you hear those two words all you can think of is a buttery flaky crust and sweet fragrant apples melting in your mouth with a cold scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream or whipped cream. The Apple Pie is an American Tradition. It's the pie that brings the family around the table at Thanksgiving or the pie that is served with red white and blue plates at the Fourth of July beach party. It's the pie that your Grandmother always made when you visited, and she somehow knew the recipe by heart. The Apple Pie is so versatile and is yummy for anytime, not just a holiday or family gathering. I hope you will enjoy my take on this delicious American Tradition and try it for yourself! 

Ingredients:

for the pie dough 

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) very 

        cold butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces 

1/2 very cold water 

for the apple filling 

6 large tart apples

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 tablespoon fresh lemon lemon juice 

     

1. First make the pie dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of the flour, the granulated sugar, and the salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir until well blended. 

2. Drop the diced butter pieces into the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender (can be found at any grocery store) work the butter and the flour mixture together by rocking the pastry blender back and forth and up and down using a chopping motion. Keep in mind that the butter needs to be really cold! After a few minutes the mixture should looks like course crumbs with few pieces of butter still visible. 

3. Pour ice cold water over the mixture and stir together until the mixture becomes moist crumbs. Dump crumbs onto a clean and floured work surface. Divide into two equal piles and using your hands, press each pile into a flat disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 

       

4. Make the apple filling: Using a vegetable peeler, peal each apple and then cut into about 8 pieces. Each piece should be about 1/2 inch thick to ensure plenty of apples for each slice of pie! Pile the slices in a bowl and add the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir until blended.  

5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. 

6. Sprinkle the work surface with the remaining cup of flour. Unwrap 1 disk of the dough and using the rolling pin flatten out the top a bit. 

7. Sprinkle more flour on the top and on the rolling pin and begin to roll out the dough. Start in the center of the dough and roll towards the edges. Repeat this until the circle is about 14 inches in diameter and about the same thickness throughout. Don't worry if its not a perfect circle because its going to be on the bottom of the dish anyways.

8. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and carefully transfer onto your 9-inch pie dish (I used a pyrex dish). Using your fingertips, gently press dough into the dish. 

9. There are many different options for the top of an apple pie. You can create a lattice design or a full top with slits, or basically anything that your heart desires. This was my first time making a homemade pie crust so I found that my second disk of dough was very dry. I improvised by making a crumble top pie. To do this I basically pulled apart the dough and dropped it over the apples. I then sprinkled 1/4 cup sugar on the top to give it some more texture.

   

10. Bake the pie until the top is golden brown and the apples are tender, about 1 hour. Test the pie by inserting a knife in the top. The knife should glide easily into the slice. Remove pie from the oven and cool on a backing rack until ready to serve. 

11. When ready to serve the pie should still be warm. Top each slice with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and ENJOY!