Melissa's Apple Pie

Looking over my cooking blog with the holidays coming up, I realized that I never added my apple pie recipe-- what a crime! I thought of this today because we purchased a bag of mixed apples (some green, some red) from a local farmer. When we got home, I decided I should make some apple pie. I scrolled through my cooking blog, thinking my recipe would be here, but it wasn’t. Well, it certainly will be from now on! 

On this note, I would like to say that I am somewhat picky when it comes to apple pie.   I really don’t like when an apple pie is piled up in a big mound, I prefer a level or only slightly mounded pie. I also like a tasty, tender-but-flaky crust. Sweet-tart apple flavor. A thick sauce in the filling. Tender apples, but not too mushy. With a slight kiss of cinnamon in the mix. 

Too many people today make apple pie a bit dry (no sauce inside), or the apples taste crunchy or tough-chewy, like they weren’t cooked all the way. And if that doesn’t happen, the contents of those mile-high mound pies will condense in baking, leaving you with a huge empty cave under the top crust! This is why I slice my apples thin and pre-cook them in the “filling sauce” before putting them in the pie shell. A lot of the condensing is already done and the apples are sure to be tender. Hope you like my recipe! 

Melissa’s Apple Pie

Ingredients:

1 prepared, raw pie shell in a 9 inch pie pan (and enough pie dough for a top layer of crust, pre-made is fine, but my personal pie crust recipe is below the ingredients)

4 to 6 apples (peeled, cored and thinly sliced)

¼ cup (half a stick) unsalted butter

1 ½ tablespoons flour

3/4 cup white sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon 

My "Simple Pie Crust" recipe:  http://melissavalentineskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/12/sinple-pie-crust.html 

Directions:

1.       In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.  Sprinkle in the flour and whisk quickly with a fork, to avoid any clumps.  Be sure flour is well blended with the butter.  Mix in the sugar, water and cinnamon, blend well.

2.        Add the apple slices to the sugar/butter mixture, and stew them down until the apples start to become tender, about 15 minutes. I like to continue cooking them until the sauce is thick and coating the apples, not pooling in the bottom of the pan. 

3.        Place your prepared pie shell in on a cookie sheet for easy transport. Pour apple mixture into pie shell, scraping the pan to get everything in.   

4.       Roll out the pie dough for your top layer of pie crust and lay it over the top of the pie (you can also cut the dough into strips and weave them onto the pie, as seen in the picture).   Trim away any excess dough from the edges.  

5.       Pinch the top crust dough to the bottom crust dough, so seal them together.   Press the edges of the crust/dough with a fork for a nice design, if desired.  

6.       Cut 4 slits in the top layer of the crust (if you are leaving the top crust whole), each about an inch wide.  

7.       Bake pie in the oven for 1 hour, keeping it on the cookie sheet.   Carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool to a safe-to-the-touch temperature.   Slice into wedges and serve.