Goal of my life = make an apple pie. Today is the day that I accomplish the impossible. I figured it was suitable - celebrate America's independence which was thought to be impossible and make an apple pie which in my mind is impossible.
I've made ONE pie before but technically it was a crumble. Nevertheless, I made a pie crust and it turned out delicious (I'll post the recipe once I can get a hold of it). My Grandma Ediger always told me that pies were very difficult to make and that she usually bought instead of made - I think it was her that instilled this fear of pie baking in me. I always wondered why it was so difficult...I mean you make a round circle of dough, place it in a pie pan, toss some fruit in it and BAM! you have a pie. Right?
WRONG.
Pies are so hard! Not the actual making the dough or fruit part but the construction! I am a Food Network fiend so I've received many tips on how to properly place the dough in the pie tin: you roll it up on a rolling pin and then roll it into the pie tin. Easier said than done. I had troubles just rolling it on the rolling pin because it was sticking to the pie sheet. Then when I went to lay it in the pie tin, it was slightly off-centered so I had to take excess pieces and squish it into places that needed more crust.
I'm not sure if I saved myself much trouble by places stars on top instead of doing a lattice or full top. My grandma didn't have a star cookie cutter so I had to cut out my stars by hand. But it ended up looking good!
I hope this doesn't discourage you from making a pie. Think of it as a forewarning of what you're getting yourself into. I do recommend trying it one day, though! I got the greatest rush of accomplishment when I took my first bite and it was amazingly delicious. And it looked so pretty! Enjoy!
Apple Pie
Pie Dough
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 tbs unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 tbs very cold water
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add in the butter pieces and mix on medium-low to cut the butter into the flour; the mixture should look like coarse sand and the butter pieces should be no bigger than peas. Mix in the cold water on low speed until the dough comes together.
Shape the dough into a ball, wrap with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Take out of the refrigerator. Take half of the dough and place it on a floured surface and roll it into a circle. Roll the dough onto a rolling pin then roll it into the pie tin.
Filling
8 cups sliced apples (I used Granny Smith)
1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
dash of salt
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together and let them sit for a few minutes.
Pour the apples in the pie crust. Roll out the rest of the pie dough and create whatever crust you want - I used a cookie cutter and cut out stars. Place the dough on top (if you do a solid top, make sure to cut slits into it). Wrap the edges of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
Bake the pie for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbling. **Make sure to remove the aluminum foil for the last 15 minutes.
Serve warm or cold. With or without ice cream. Either way is delicious!
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