If pumpkin or sweet potatoes pies are for Thanksgiving, our traditional Christmas dessert is apple pie. I have to make this every year or else I’ll hear about not having apple pie one Christmas for the rest of my life. Truthfully, I quite enjoy baking an apple pie and seeing everyone’s faces after a bite or in my brother-in-law’s case, surprise that I could actually bake one. I guess it could get intimidating especially if you’re a baking novice but once you get used to it you’ll find joy in peeling and slicing the apples, then rolling the dough especially if you’re using a non-stick rolling pin like mine 
.
For a better tasting apple pie, it’s better to combine tart and sweet apples. 4 each.
Double-Crust Pie Pastry: (same as sweet potato pie crust)
2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
4-6 tablespoons ice water
In a mixing bowl, stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal
Sprinkle water over flour mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork, just until pastry holds together. Wrap the ball of pastry with saran wrap tightly then put it in the fridge for an hour or so. Or overnight if you plan to bake the next day.
Apple Filling :
1 large egg, separated
4 tart apples
4 sweet apples
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoon butter
Preheat the oven to 425°.
Peel, core, then slice the apples.Put it a bowl big enough for mixing. A sprinkle of lemon juice as you go would keep the apples fresh. When all the apples are peeled, cored and slices, add the sugars, flour, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss everything together.
Take the pastry out of the fridge, cut in half. Flatten 1 half on top of a floured surface. Roll the dough until it’s about 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Wrap the dough (check out the process from the sweet potato recipe) into the pin and slowly unroll into the baking pan. Smooth the dough out.
Beat the egg white until slightly frothy. Brush the dough with it. Then mound the apple mixture on top. Add dots of butter on top of the apple mixture.
Roll the other half of the dough like the first one. Then unroll it on top of the apples. Cut the edges of the dough but make sure there’s enough left to crimp with your fingers or in my case, with a fork . Save the remaining dough for some decorations.
Cut a few slits on top. Use the remaining dough by rolling it again with the rolling pin. You can make tiny leaves using a regular steak knife or if you have cookie cutters, cut out shapes. I use my apple cookie cutter.
Beat the egg yolk with a little bit of water. Brush the top of the pie with it. Avoid the slits. Place the apple pie on top of a cookie sheet. You must do this to avoid the bubbling mess in your oven.
Bake for 15 minutes, then turn it down to 375°. Bake for another 35 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
I wasn’t able to take a picture of a slice but trust me it was good. Even more so if topped with vanilla ice cream.
My husband kept teasing me about the apple cutout. He said it looks like a pumpkin coz it’s too big. I showed him the apple cookie cutter to prove him wrong. Still though, he teased me to no end. With the size, I understand that if you don’t see the cookie cutter personally you’d assume it’s a pumpkin too .
FYI : A similar recipe was posted by ME at Forks.ca
