Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Crisco, frozen and cut into cubes (I use sticks)
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water
Measure and mix flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add Crisco cubes and blend for about 20 seconds, until cubes are pea-sized and mixture remains dry. Drizzle ice water into flour mixture and blend until barely mixed. (The more you mix, the less flaky it becomes).
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Filling:
5-6 medium-large apples (Golden Delicious or Pink Lady)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 white sugar
2-3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Butter
Peel and slice apples ~1/4-1/8” thick. Mix with other ingredients except butter. Let sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to soften.
Preheat oven to 425. Place rack in lower 1/3 of oven.
Divide dough. Roll 1/2 into a circle and somehow get it into a 9” pie pan. Fill with apple mixture. Dot with small slices of butter. Roll other 1/2 of dough into a circle and somehow get it on top. If it rips, and it will, repair with extra dough and a bit of water.
Crimp edges to seal and slice off any excess. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar (if desired) and slice 5 vents on top.
Or not. I forgot to cut vents when making a pie for this article and nothing major happened as a result. Still.
Bake for 30 minutes. Slip a cookie sheet beneath pie and reduce oven to 350. Bake 30-45 until apples are just tender. Remove and cool for 3-4 hours.
Near to all of our hearts is a family recipe for something we love. This apple pie is an iteration of my Mom's incredible French apple pie which I ate throughout my childhood, and which inspired me to create an apple pie for my own for my family.