| Kickass Apple Pie |
| This ancient recipe concocted by the sturdy widehipped matrons of Ontario's rural mennonite community is sure to please burly field hands and urban dessert mongers alike. |
| Crust (9in double) 2 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup lard/shortening/butter (mix if you like) 1/3 cup ice water |
| Filling 3 cups peeled apples sliced in one inch pieces(spies are my fav. but granny smith and empire work well too.) 1 cup suger 2 tbls flour 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp salt 2 tbls milk/cream or 1/4 cup sour cream 2/3 tbls butter |
| First mix the dry ingredients for the crust and place in the freezer along with the lard and water. Then peel the apples amd mix the dry ingredients for the filling, giving the crust stuff time to get cold which is important to a flakey crust. Then, using a food processor or two knives, cut the lard into the flour until the average size of the fat chunks is that of a pea. Using a fork, mix in the water until the dough can just hold together in a ball. You can also use your fingers but this warms the dough so it's best to cool them first by running them under cold water and then drying them completely. Recipes usually say to let the dough rest for about fifteen minutes, covered in the fridge but I usually skip right to taking half the dough and rolling it out on a lightly floured surface or pastry cloth. Start in the center of the dough and roll outwards in all directions. Don't crush it, gentle pressure should be enough, and stop just before rolling the edge. Keep going till you have a circle that is about 3 to 4 inches bigger then the pie plate. A deep dish glass plate is best. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it onto the pie plate, gently fitting it to the edges. Any rips or tares can easily be fixed with some water and a bit of extra dough from the edges. Next, place the apple slices into the crust and pour the sugar mix over them, trying to distribute it evenly. Add the milk or cream and the butter (cut up,) again trying to distribute evenly. (Note: I once forgot this step and almost cover an empty pie shell!) Roll out the rest of the dough to about 1 inch bigger then the plate. Brush the rim of the bottom crust with water before putting the top crust on and then crimp together to seal the whole thing up. Poke several holes in the top for steam to escape and place the pie on a cookie sheet (much easier cleanup if it leaks) and bake on a lower rake in an oven preheated to 375 for 45- 50 min or until the top is starting to turn golden brown. |