Recipe #288: Apple Pie, From Scratch

Sorry it's been so long since my last post.... been super busy with work between overtime and travel, and then even once I got home, getting the motivation to cook stuff was nearly impossible.  I made this pie several weeks ago and never posted the recipes.  It turned out AMAZING.  I'd eaten dinner and then after discussing desserts with a friend via Facebook, I suddenly had a huge craving for apple pie.  At 8pm, I went to the grocery store to get the ingredients and was definitely not disappointed.

As you can tell from the picture, cutting the pie made it fall apart, but it was still delicious with some good quality vanilla ice cream on top!  The crust is full of flavor.

THE CRUST:

Ingredients:  (DOUBLE FOR TOP AND BOTTOM!)

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water

Directions:

Mix shortening, flour, and salt together with a fork or pastry blender until very crumbly.  Add as much water as needed to hold together and mix lightly with a fork.

Roll gently on a floured pastry cloth (or parchment paper) to about an inch larger than the pie plate.  Fold carefully in half, lift to pie plate, and unfold.  Press into pan.  For the top, use a pizza cutter to slice pieces for weaving, as in the picture.

Pinch the ends together.

THE FILLER:

Ingredients:

Double crust pastry (above)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 while sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
5(ish) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
Cinnamon, to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in a sauce pan.  Stir in flour to form a paste.  Add whie sugar, brown sugar, and water; bring to a boil.  Reduce temperature, simmer five minutes.

Meanwhile, place the bottom crust in your pan.  Season apples to taste with cinnamon, and fill the bottom crust, mounded slightly.  Cover with lattice work crust.  Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust.  Pour slowly so that it doesn't run off.

Bake 15 minutes at 425, then 35-45 minutes at 350.