classic apple pie

over at our house we are still working on using up the insane amount of apples that we brought home from our apple picking trip last weekend.  so far, we have made an apple cake and apple pancake rings.  we have also been taking apples to work and eating them with our lunches for the past week.  (luckily we aren't sick of apples quite yet.)  so, in an effort to use up a few more apples, we decided to make an apple pie.

i swear there must be thousands of apple pie recipes in existence.  single crust, double crust, with caramel, without caramel, crumb topping . . . the variations are endless.  for this apple pie we decided to keep it plain and simple.  thus, i present to you classic apple pie.

this recipe really lets the apples shine through without overpowered them with too many crazy toppings or sauces.  the spices work their magic in the oven as the apples bake to create a heavenly aroma in your kitchen.  the crust is flaky and perfectly golden brown.

serve a slice of this pie with or without vanilla ice cream.  it's classic, just like apple pie should be.
    

classic apple pie
prep time: 15-20 minutes (plus 1 hour for chilling the dough)
baking time: 50-60 minutes
yields: one 9-inch round double-crust pie

crust ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
16 tablespoons salted butter (cold)
4-6 tablespoons cold water

filling ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs. apples (assorted varieties peeled, cored, and sliced)
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg white

directions:
to make the pie crust: cut the cold butter into one-inch cubes.  in a food processor, pulse the flour and butter cubes together until the butter is incorporated into the flour.  while running the food processor, slowly pour the cold water into the flour and butter mixture.  as soon as the mixture forms into a dough ball, stop the food processor.  divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap.  let the dough balls chill in the refrigerator for one hour.  after one hour, roll out one of the dough balls to fit a 9-inch pie plate.  place the dough into the pie plate.  roll out the second dough ball to fit the top of the pie plate.  set aside.

preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  to make the pie filling: combine the sliced apples, sugars, spices, flour, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a large bowl.  evenly distribute the apple mixture, along with it's juices, in the prepared pie crust.  place the second rolled-out dough over the top of the pie.  pinch the edges of the top layer of dough together with the bottom layer of dough.  cut 2 or 3 small slits in the top center of the dough with a knife.

beat the egg white and gently brush it over the dough.  bake the pie for 50-60 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.  (halfway through the baking, be sure to cover the edges of the dough with tin foil so that the crust does not burn.)  once baked, allow the pie to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to cool before slicing.

enjoy!

love, laurie