October. Apple picking time. Our favorite place is Autumn Hills Orchard in Groton, MA. We had heard news reports that the Apple crop was bad this year due to weather patterns. Well the reports were wrong. The apples were huge and plentiful and beautiful. And, of course, delicious.
We picked 40 lbs. of Apples. For eating, we picked Macouns. For the pies, I chose Cortlands and a few RI Greenies. The old man at Autumn Hills told me years ago that the super tart Rhode Island Greening Apples are the key to his favorite apple pie. He was right. I usually put 4-5 Cortlands and one Greenie in each pie. Beautiful day….great tradition.
My Grandma’s Pie Crust
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup lard
- ½ cup (or more) ice water
Filling
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. Victoria Taylor’s Pie Spices
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 lbs. hard apples – peeled, cored, thinly sliced
- additional sugar and Pie Spices
For Crust:
Blend flour and lard and cut in using a pastry blender or food processor until mixture resembles a course meal. Mix in lemon juice and egg. Add ice water slowly and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry.
Gather into a ball; divide into 2 pieces. Flatten each into disks.
For Filling:
Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400°. Mix first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add apples and toss to blend.
Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round.
Transfer to a 9-inch diameter glass pie dish. Fold edge under, forming high-standing rim.
Add filling. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 13-inch round.
Place 2nd disk over top and gently press edges of top and bottom crust together; crimp. Brush top with milk. Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar and Pie Spices.
Bake pie 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°. Continue baking until juices bubble thickly and crust is deep golden, covering edges with foil if browning too quickly. Bake about 1 hour 20 minutes.
Cool on rack 1 hour before serving.
To make sure that I completed my apple overload I baked my favorite Apple Crisp as well. Check out that recipe here.
Serving Suggestions: Serve with vanilla ice cream or slightly sweetened whipped cream if desired.
Best,
Victoria
Check out my posts for Curried Cashews, Cinnamon Chile Pistachios and Honey Roasted Almonds with Smoky Paprika Chipotle for more great spiced nut ideas.
