Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Joey's Favorite Apple Pie




I never met a pie I didn't like. Everything from fruit pies to chocolate brownie pies to coconut cream pies, you name it, I love it. But if I had to pick one favorite, out of all the pies anyone can dream up, my most favorite in the whole wide world is your basic classic all American apple pie. It's the cinnamon, it's the comfort, it's the aroma. Put a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some melted caramel on top of it, and I'm in heaven. I've tried a million different recipes. This one is my favorite. Enjoy!

6 cups apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 tbs butter
Easy Pie Crust or other pie crust for a two crust pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Divide pastry in half. Roll out one half and place it in a 9" deep dish pie plate. In a large mixing bowl, gently toss together all ingredients except butter until apples are well coated. Arrange apples in pie shell. Dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry. Place top crust over pie and trim to within one inch of edge. Fold top crust under lower crust and form a ridge. Flute to make a decorative edge. Cut slits in top crust to create vents for steam. Place pie in oven and bake 45 minutes.


Tip:
When you roll out the first half of the pastry, lightly flour one side and place it in your pie plate floured side down. This is will keep your finished pie from sticking to the plate. Feel free to use your imagination with the top crust. Instead of just cutting slits in the top, try a lattice top or use a cookie cutter to make creative designs.

Place a baking sheet on an oven rack below the pie in case it bubbles over.

And one more tip from my sister, Jeanie:
There's nothing worse than cutting the first slice of an apple pie and having all the juice run out, flooding the pie plate. So, whenever Jeanie makes an apple pie, she briefly cooks the apples in a skillet before putting them into the pie shell. Just melt the butter, then add the apples flour and spices. Stir it all together and let it cook for just a minute or two, just until the juices thicken. This will keep your pie from being too juicy or watery. So, if your apples are very juicy, maybe try this method instead of the one described above!
Thanx Jean!

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