On my first date with Mark, I asked him what his favorite thing to eat was and he replied, “apple pie!” So for our second date I really wanted to impress him with the best apple pie he ever had. I enlisted the help of my mom and aunt and wound up mixing together a bunch of recipes to make my own. It turned out so good that some guy fixing my refridgerator later that day said, “Is that thing real?” pointing to it sitting on the counter. Fifteen years later, the recipe is still a favorite in our house, so I thought I would finally share it with everyone. Perfect for the fall!

Crust

2 ½ cups of all purpose flour (I prefer Hudson Cream)

2 tsp of sugar

½ tsp of salt

1 stick of real butter, cold, cut into slices (pats)

½ cup of shortening, cold, in tablespoon size pieces (I prefer butter flavored Crisco)

6 tbsp of ice cold water

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Add ½ of the butter and ½ of the shortening pieces. Combine by pinching with fingertips until the fat is evenly distributed. Add the rest of the butter and shortening and repeat. The mixture is ready when it will hold together when pressed. (Try not to overwork or over mix.) Add water and combine with a wooden spoon. Place the dough onto plastic wrap and cover. Gently knead into a ball and then divide in half. Cover each piece with plastic wrap and press into disks about 5-6 inches in diameter. Wrap well and chill one hour to three days. (You can also freeze for later use.) Makes two nine inch pie crusts.

Apple Pie

6 medium sized Granny Smith apples (Smell them….they should Really smell good.) Peel, core and cut into large chunks

2 tbsp of lemon juice

¾ cup of sugar

1 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of allspice

2 tbsp of cornstarch

2 pie crusts

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Remove crusts from refrigerator.

In a large bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and cornstarch. Toss well.

On a floured surface, lightly roll our one piece of dough to a 12 inch circle. Line a nine inch pie pan with the flattened crust. Fill center with apple pie mixture. Roll out second disk of dough. Take lightly beaten egg white and brush edges of dough. Place second disk on top of pie. Brush remaining egg white all over. Crimp edges of dough together. (I think it is easiest to use a fork to do this; to make a pretty fluted edge, use your fingertips and knuckles of the other. Google it! I’m sure there is a video.)

Cut vents in top of pie crust.   Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Bake 10 minutes on lower rack. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and juices are bubbling. Cool on rack 1 hour.