I love making this apple pie—it feels like a true taste of Americana. As an immigrant, baking it for holidays like the Fourth of July or Thanksgiving has become a special tradition for me.
Ingredients:
For the Pie Crust- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 170 g cold unsalted butter but into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 6 tablespoons ice water
- 5 – 6 large apples
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 lemon
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg white, beaten slightly
Instructions:
Making the Pie Crust one hour to 2 days before baking:
Process the flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined. Add the shortening and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour and continue to pulse until it resembles corse crumbs, with butter bits no larger than small peas, about ten 1-second pulses. Turn the mixture into a medium bowl.
Sprinkle ice water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Assembling the Pie:
Adjust the oven rack to the higher position (my oven) and heat to 500 degrees. Place cookie sheet on a lower grate.
Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured work surface . Transfer dough in the greased baking pan and put back into the fridge or freezer to stay cool.
Peel, core, and quarter the apples; cut the quarters into 1/4 inch slices and toss with the lemon juice so they don’t brown. In a medium bowl, mix 3/4 cups of sugar, the four, spices, and salt. Toss the dry ingredients with the apples.
Turn the fruit mixture, including the juices into the cooled pie shell.
Roll out the second piece of dough to a circle large enough to cover the pie form. Place it over the filling and press onto the bottom crust. Cut four slits in the dough top.
Brush the top with the egg white and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
Place the pie on the upper rack and reduce temperature to 425 degrees. Bake the pie until the top curst is golden, about 25 minutes.
Rotate the pie and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for another 25 to 30 minutes until it is a deep golden brown.
Transfer the pie onto a wire rack and cool.