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Apple Pie


Yield 1 Pie

Ingredients

Dough

Filling

Instructions

  1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375° F.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients until it resembles yellow corn meal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter and shortening. (If the flour/butter mixture gets warm, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before proceeding.)
  3. Add the egg and stir the dough together with a fork or by hand in the bowl. If the dough is dry, sprinkle up with a tablespoon more of cold water over the mixture. Form the dough into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour.
  4. Peel the apples cutting each into about 8 wedges. Place the apples in a medium-sized bowl with the lemon juice. Add the sugar to the apple slices and toss to cover all the apples.
  5. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apples, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer about 2 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the apples soften and release most of their juices, about 7 minutes. Strain the apples in a colander over a medium bowl to catch all the juice. Shake the colander to get as much liquid as possible.
  6. Return the juices to the skillet, and simmer over medium heat until thickened and lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Toss the apples with the reduced juice and spices. Set aside to cool.
  7. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of dough into a disc about 11 to 12 inches wide. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan with the dough, trimming the sides to about 1/2 inch overhang. Put the apple filling in the pan and mound it slightly in the center.
  8. Brush the top edges of the dough with egg. Roll out the second half of the dough to the same size and thickness as the first. Cut the dough into even strips depending on how thick you want your strips. Layout 4 to 7 evenly spaced parallel strips on top of the filling. Fold back every other strip. Place one long strip perpendicular to the parallel. Unfold the folded strips over the perpendicular strip. Take the parallel strips that are running underneath the perpendicular strip and fold them back over the perpendicular strip. Lay down a second perpendicular strip of dough next to the first strip. Unfold the folded parallel strips over the second strip. Continue this process until the weave is complete. Trim the edges of the strips flush to the underlying dough. Fold back the rim of the shell over the edge of the strips and crimp. Brush the surface of the dough with egg and then sprinkle with sugar.
  9. Put the pie in the fridge for 15 minutes. Bake the pie until the crust is golden, about 50 minutes. Cool before serving.