Fourth of July Apple Pie

Fourth of July Apple Pie

What is more American than apple pie? No Fourth of July celebration is complete without a delicious homemade apple pie. The secret here is to use a combination of tart apples, like Winesap or Granny Smith, and sweet apples like Fuji, Jonagold, Idared or Mutsu. Your patriotic crowd will love this pie.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons unbleached flour
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 and 1/2 pounds apples cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Pastry dough
• 1 lightly beaten egg

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 425° F. Place a large baking sheet in the middle of the oven. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, allspice, salt and 2/3 cup sugar.

Gently toss with the apples and lemon juice. Roll out one piece of your dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin.

You want your dough to be about 13 inches round to fit into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Keep the other piece of dough in the refrigerator. Trim the edge making sure to leave a 1/2 inch overhang. Chill the shell while rolling out the dough for the top crust.

Roll out the top piece of dough on the lightly floured surface into an 11-inch round.

Now you are ready to spoon your filling into the pastry shell. Cover with the top and trim leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Press the edges together then crimp. Lightly brush the top of the pie with the egg and then sprinkle all over with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. 

Cut 3 steam vents in the top of the crust with a small sharp knife.

Bake the pie on the hot bakingsheet for 20 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 375° F. and continue to bake for 40 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. 

Remove from the oven and cool your yummy pie on a rack for at least 2 hours. This recipe serves six. 

Pastry Dough

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups unbleached flour
• 1 and 3/4 cups shortening
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 large slightly beaten egg
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water

Mix the flour, shortening, sugar, salt, egg, red wine vinegar and the water together. Place in a ziplock bag. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for 1 hour.

Separate into 4 balls of dough. Roll out on a floured surface and place in 9-inch pie pans. Bake in a preheated 425° F. oven for 12 minutes for the unfilled crust or use the recipe for a filled pie crust. Makes 2 crusts with tops. The unbaked dough may be kept for 1 week in a ziplock bag in the fridge.