Apple Pie

Apple Pie is my specialty; I end up making it several times over the holiday season. Pie (especially apple) is a wonderful dessert to bring to any family gathering - It's simple to make, apples are still in season and widely available, and it travels *really* well.

It's also my chance to show everyone what I mean by "my apple peeler thingy":

This is my apple peeler. It is my favorite thingy in the kitchen and probably the most specialized piece of equipment that I own. The apple goes on the spike, you crank the handle and the peeler on the side peels it. Then the apple goes through the bladed ring, coring and slicing it into thin rings. It works amazingly well, is incredibly durable and makes it really, really easy to peel apple-shaped things (potatoes, I'm talking to you). You can find them in certain specialty stores, like Williams-Sonoma or online at Amazon.


Anyway, Apple Pie
Needed:
A pie plate: 9 inch diameter will make a very tall pie, 12 inch diameter will make a flatter one.

Crust: You *can* use a frozen crust in those disposable tins (look in your grocery's freezer section), which is really great if you're traveling. Just buy two and use one of them for the top. If you want better-quality crust, you really can't go wrong with Pillsbury pie crusts.

Apples: 3 Granny Smith apples, 3 Gala apples. If they don't have Gala, Golden Delicious will work just as well.

Sugar: White and brown

Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Flour
Lemon juice
Milk (not a lot, a few tablespoons at most)
Butter (about a tablespoon)
Cinnamon-sugar mixture - yes, they actually sell this separately as a spice in the store. It's 2 parts white sugar to 1 part cinnamon. Or you can mix your own, since this recipe already calls for both cinnamon and sugar.

Preheat your oven to 375
Take your pie crusts out of the freezer and let them defrost while you work.
Peel, core and slice your apples. If you're doing it manually, aim for slices about 1/2 inch thick. If you're using the peeler-thingy, run it through the machine, take the spiral-cut apple and slice it into quarters.
All the apples go into a big mixing bowl with the following:
Add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
Add 2 Tbsp white flour
Add 3/4 Cup white sugar
Add 1/4 Cup packed brown sugar. Brown sugar is really compressible, so you need to pack it down tightly when measuring it out or you won't get an accurate amount. Use your fingers or the back of a spoon - it should look and feel vaguely like wet sand when you're done.
Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Add 1/2 tsp nutmeg
Use your hands and toss the apples with the mixture. You want to make sure of the following:

• The clumps of brown sugar are broken up
• None of the apple pieces are sticking together
• The flour is all wet - you shouldn't be able to see any white when you're done
• The apples are well-coated in sugary-flour goo

Let the mixture stand in the bowl for 15 minutes. This lets more juice escape from the apples so your pie filling is nice and gooey.

Pie crust time. If you're using the Pillsbury pie crusts, *carefully* unroll them onto a floured surface (Throw about 1/4c white flour onto your counter and spread out so there's a thin dusting of flour anywhere the pie crust might touch. Get your hands too. I never said this was a neat process). Use a rolling-pin-like-object to spread the crust out a bit, evening out any seams in the crust. Gently lift the crust and place it in the bottom of your pie pan. It should be quite a bit larger than your pie pan - you want it to completely cover the bottom, up the sides and overhang the edge by 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch.

If you're using the frozen crusts in the aluminum tins, laugh at the people who just covered their kitchen in flour. Put your pie tin squarely in the center of your counter and be thankful you don't need to clean paste off of it later.

Pour the apple mixture into your pie crust. Use a scraper, a piece of apple or your fingers to make sure you get every last sugary drop of goo into your pie plate. Smooth out the apple pile, trying to get it as even as possible - make sure to fill the edges of the pie.

Take the butter and a small knife, cut little slivers of butter off and 'dot' the top of the apple pile with butter. You're going for a polka-dot effect, and should use about a tablespoon of butter.

Top crust time: Pillsbury crust users, roll out the second sheet of dough like you did the first. You may have to make it a bit thinner, depending on how monstrous your apple pile is. Gently lift the crust up and drape it over the top of the pie. It should completely cover the apple pile and hang over the edges by about 1/2 inch.

Frozen pie-crusters, delicate operation time. Gently loosen the edges of the crust from the second tin, and peel back the crust. (Note: Pie crust gets more fragile the warmer it gets. If you're having trouble working with it, stick it back in the freezer for 5 minutes) Turn the tin upside-down over the top of the pile and gently help gravity along. If you're lucky, the crust should drop out of the tin, neatly covering the top of the pie. Be patient and gentle and it will come out eventually.

Pie sealing time: take the overhanging edges of the crust and kinda roll and squish them together on the lip of the pie plate. Go around the whole pie, tucking the crust in neatly. Then take a fork and use the tines to squish the edges together. You'll get a nice line pattern along the edges.

Vent the pie: On the top of the pie in the center, cut four vents about 1/2 inch long. It should look kinda like a compass - north, south, east west. Take your fork and stab (gently! you're just trying to pierce the crust, not get your fork lodged in the apples below) the crust about 10 times in various places.

Take the milk (about 1 Tbsp) and 'paint' the top of the pie crust with the milk. There's specialty brushes, but your fingers work just fine. This keeps the crust moist.

Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of the pie.

Chef's secret: This will work with all your pies and keep the outer edges from burning! Wrap the very edge of the crust (the part you squished together with a fork) in aluminum foil before baking. Tear a narrow length of aluminum foil (about 2 inches wide), fold in half and mold it around the outside edge of your pie crust. A 9-inch pie will need 3 lengths, a 12-inch pie will need 4. It takes a while to get the foil to stick properly and not fall off, but it works wonders.

Bake the pie at 375 for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, reduce the heat of the oven to 275 and bake for another 35-40 minutes.

Take the pie out and let it cool on the stove for *at least* 3 hours. This gives the filling time to gel. If you want to serve the pie hot, stick it in a 350 oven for 10 minutes before serving.