Apple Pie

Ingredients

• 2 disks of pie crust
• 1 tbsp butter
• 8-9 Honeycrisp apples (or a mix of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious or McIntosh)
• 1 or 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar (I use brown)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 egg white, beaten lightly (or milk)

Instructions

1. Roll out pie crusts, one in the pie pan pan, cover with plastic wrap, and place in fridge. Make sure to poke holes in the dough in the pan.
2. Peel, core, and quarter the apples, then slice into thin wedges. Toss in lemon juice.
3. Melt the butter in a large pot.
4. Sautee the apples slices, 3/4 cup sugar, and spices in the butter on medium heat until the apples have tendered slightly, reduced, and darkened a bit in color (about 8-10 minutes).
5. Add the flour to the apple mixture to help thicken the juices.
6. Take the panned pie crust out of the fridge and apply a light wash of egg whites.
7. Fill the crust with the apple mixture, top with the second pie crust.
8. Crimp the edges of the two crusts together and cut flower-petal holes in the center.
9. Apply a light egg wash to the top crust.
10. Bake at 425 F for 20 minutes or until the top is golden, then rotate 180 degrees and bake at 375 F for another 20 minutes or until cooked through. Sprinkle some sugar on top partway through to add a sparkle to the crust.

Notes:

1. I slice the apple such that each slice is only half the height of the apple. These smaller slices make it easier to cut the pie later and for people to eat it.
2. Not everyone pre-cooks the apples, but I think it helps them caramelize properly and stay soft without risking burning the crust. If you don’t pre-cook the apples, just mix all the filling ingredients except the butter and place them directly in the pie crust before baking.
3. If you do pre-cook the apples, feel free to adjust the spices and cooking time to your liking. The apples will release juices which should bubble just slightly as you’re cooking, and nothing should burn.
4. The egg white is to prevent the juices from soaking through and to add shine to the top crust. You can also use milk.