Perfect Apple Pie Recipe and Agnes' Flaky Pie Crust

You will need a 9" pie plate and a rolling pin (I have used a wine bottle in a pinch).

Perfect Apple Pie
6-8 tart apples(a mix is best, mccouns, cortland, macintosh) Peel, core, and thinly slice.(about 6 cups)
1/2 -3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pastry Crust for a 9" pie(recipe to follow but I swear by Pillsbury ready to use crust in the freezer section. Follow the package instructions to thaw)
1-2 tablespoons cold butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine sugar, flour,spices and salt. Mix with the apples in a large bowl. Line a 9 inch pie plate with 1 crust. Fill with apple mixture. Place small pieces of butter on top of apples. Adjust top crust by making an upside down 'V' with your thumbs. Then go around the entire outside crust, firmly pressing down to join and seal the top and bottom crusts. Cut 3 slits in the top and sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes in the center of oven. Check after 25 minutes and if the top is getting too brown, lay a sheet of aluminium foil on top of the pie(don't tuck it around).

If you are really ambitious, here's the homemade pie crust recipe from Agnes, my great friend. She's very sick so think healthful thoughts for her while you bake.


Agnes' Flaky Pie Crust

Follow this exactly.
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 corn oil (Mazzola)
1/4 cup whole milk

Mix all ingredients together, divide in 2 and you must roll out each crust between 2 sheets of wax paper until it fits your pie plate. Turn the pie plate upside down over the crust to measure it. Take off the top layer of wax paper and adjust the crust over the pie plate then gently peel off the wax paper. The great thing about this crust is it's easy to patch the crust. Just take a small piece and press it firmly to fill in the torn space. Whatever crust is left can be sprinkled with a mixture of 1 tsp sugar, some a few shakes of cinnamon and nutmeg and baked for a few minutes.

You all know what an apple pie looks like so good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!