Apple Pie

Now, who doesn't like apple pie? Who doesn't like apple pie that was possibly cooked a few minutes too long like the one in this picture? Don't worry. It still tasted great. Just note, when it suggests bake 30-40 minutes. The 35 mark didn't cut it. 

Apple Pie (from the Lion House cookbook)

Pastry for 9-inch two crust pie

4 to 5 cups tart apples; peeled, cored, and sliced (*Read my notes below)

1/4 to 1/2 cup water

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

1 to 2 T flour

1/2 to 1 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

1 T lemon juice

2 T butter or margarine

Steam or simmer apples gently in water until they wilt and begin to become transparent. (This is a partial cooking only so that apples will cook thoroughly in the pie.)

Combine the sugar and other dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread half over the pastry-lined pan. Lift apples from cooking liquid into crust. Add 1/4 c. of the cooking liquid. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Sprinkle pie filling with lemon juice and dot with butter. Roll, fit, and seal top crust. Brush with mil and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. 

Bake on lower shelf of oven at 425 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes (again, I would just put the timer at 30 and watch it)

*My notes. Our family LOVES Gravenstein apples. It's not one readily found in the stores. Luckily we get some given to us by David's parents each fall to make this and an apple crisp. We don't use any other apples. Hence the reason we are trying to grow our own Gravenstein tree on our property.

These apples have a tart taste and aren't the best to eat just plain. They make great cooking apples. They don't keep their flavor for long, so we prepare batches of this filling in advance to bake up later in the winter to enjoy. So, to make the freezer filling, do all of the ingredients as if you were preparing the pie (of course, not the pie crust), and don't add the butter. Just put it all into a gallon-sized freezer bag and lie it flat until it cools. Label it and remind yourself to add 2 T butter to the top when you're ready to bake it. Then place the bag flat into the freezer for a "rainy day"! 

If you really love apples, you have to try this Cheddar Apple Bread. Yummy!!!