Holidays. I reward myself for spending too much money by eating too much food. But when the spending/feeding frenzy dies down, I can still look myself in the mirror b/c I’ll be in the gym tomorrow. And you should be, too.

My contribution to this year’s Christmas dinner is, as usual, the desserts. The family strokes my ego every year with compliments about how I’m the BEST piemaker in the family, thereby ensuring that I continue to produce. I’m not gonna complain, though, b/c my aunt is preparing HER usual – prime rib with Yorkshire pudding. Mmmmmmm…..

Every year I think about doing something different than pies, but I always fall back on my standards, pumpkin and apple pie. For the pumpkin pie, I really haven’t found anything I like better than the recipe on the Libby’s Pumpkin Pack label. The apple pie is my own creation, though, refined after years of tinkering. Because I’m the generous type, and ‘tis the season for giving, I’m going to share my masterpiece here. Feel free to comment on my culinary genius after you try it.

Mama’s Apple Pie

Perfect Crust

  • 2 Cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Cup of vegetable shortening
  • 3 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1/3 (approx.) milk

Place flour in a large mixing bowl. Add salt and mix thoroughly with the flour, using a fork or a whisk. Next, add the shortening. Using a fork or pastry cutter, blend the shortening with the flour/salt mixture. This takes a little time, so don’t be lazy. You should end up with a mixture that resembles small nuggets. Be sure the mixture is consistent. Next, add the vinegar. Continue with the fork/pastry cutter blending until the vinegar is incorporated. Now you’re ready to add the milk. DO NOT pour it all in at once – that would be an amateurish move on your part, and I’m trusting you to do better with my ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS pie crust. Set your impatience aside, and slowly add the milk a splash at a time, working the dough with your fork/pastry cutter. Pause after about half of the milk has been added and feel the dough with your fingertips. Is it sticking together? Not really? Continue with the milk. When the dough IS sticking together, STOP with the milk. Roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Take it out and get ready to roll. (You can refrigerate it overnight if you need to, just be sure to take it out and let it soften up for a while before you use it.)

Filling to Die For

  • 8 Granny Smith Apples
  • ¾ -1cup of sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Nutmeg
  • Ginger
  • Allspice
  • Flour
  • Butter

This mixture will require some concentration. You will be responsible for the correct balance of sugar and spice. Every batch of apples requires a little different balance.

Peel the apples. Slice them thinly into a large bowl. Add ½ cup sugar and mix thoroughly. Is this sweet enough for you? If not, add more sugar, a little at a time, tasting periodically, until you have the right balance of sweet and tart. This is up to you because you have your own taste buds. My sweet may be TOO sweet for you. I would recommend not going over a cup of sugar, though. There have to be some boundaries, after all. Next, you will add approximately 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ginger, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon of allspice. Mix thoroughly with the sugared apples and taste. If the spices balance right, you’re done. Otherwise, adjust whichever spice you think is lacking. Again, trust your taste buds. Once you think you have the right balance of spices, add two tablespoons of flour and mix thoroughly.

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out the dough for the bottom crust of your pie. Pile the apple filling in. Cut up two tablespoons of butter into about 8 pieces and dot the top of the filling. You will have leftover apple mixture. I do this on purpose because my kids love the “cinnamon apples.” Whatever doesn’t fit in the pie plate gets divided up between them.

Roll out the dough for the top crust. Make sure you cut slits in it. Place the top crust on the pie and seal it. Crimp aluminum foil around the edge of the crust, and place a sheet of aluminum foil loosely over the top of the pie. This will keep the crust from browning too much. Put the pie in the oven and set the timer for 40 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the foil from the top of the pie – but keep the aluminum foil on the edges of the crust. Set the timer for 15 more minutes. When the timer goes off, check the pie. It is done when the top crust is a light brown and the inside of the pie is bubbling. If it isn’t done at this point, give it another 5 minutes at a time until it is done.

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