Gayle's Fresh Apple Pie

Gayle's Fresh Apple Pie


I've been making fresh Apple Pie for a long time. I never am for sure how it will turn out but I guess as my son says "you've been making it forever and it's never bad". Hummm!
I've never never been a fan of Apple Pie filling. They are always cut so big and are hard. Never enough Cinnamon and just uck!  I always put up about 2 bushels of Apples every fall. I use Johnathan Apples and I freeze them. I peel and slice them, not to thin or thick but just right. [this is not The Three Bears story but that part fits] Now, I fill a big bowl with apples and add 1/4 C Sugar and a good sprinkle of Fruit Fresh. Mix it with your hands. Then I measure, in a dry measuring cup, 5 C of Apples. [Push them down in the cup]I put them in a quart freezer bag and freeze. This is messy and sticky and fun if you have kids around. They love a slice of Apple in the mouth every pass they make by you. My daycare kids always did. Anyway, since I just made one this past Wednesday for some "Cousin Company" I thought you might like to try this pie sometime too.

There are so many sizes of pie plates that I almost want to caution you about the size but I won't.  I would bet that most of you have a 9" or 10" pie plates so I will assume that with the approximate measurements.
Apple Filling
5 C Apples, thawed or enough fresh apples to make 5 C. You can use Granny Smith or a good baking apple that doesn't turn to mush.
Sugar to your taste [who would mind tasting these apples?]
Cinnamon and plenty of it.
5 or 6 tsps. Butter for the top of the Apples
If you have a fresh Orange or Lemon squeeze about a half of either one into the apples.
Let this stand while you are making the pie crust. The juices will come out but they won't soak the crust because you have put that flour in the bottom crust.[see below]
I don't add any other thickening to them as a too thick any kind of pie filling is not good.
Pie Crust for a 2 crust pie
1 1/2 C Flour
3/4 C Crisco [only] No butter as it will fall apart.
1/3 C to 1/2 C ICE water, more or less.  See how it holds together.
2 tsp. Salt
Work this [the dry ingredients] together with a pastry cutter. I use a fork, but then I'm old fashioned. It is not going to resemble peas. I can't ever figure that saying out. I look at mine and it is small but have you looked at peas lately? Impossible. 
Add the water a little at a time and I flour my hands and work it together. Use half of the dough and roll out on a well floured pastry cloth or whatever you use. I use a cloth. If you added a little too much water it is NOT a big deal. This is a great pie crust my mother-in-law invented when she was a cook and it turns out EVERY time.  OK now........roll it out. Then roll it back up on your rolling pin and re roll it into the pie plate. It will easily fit and if not don't panic just fix it with a little left over crust and a tiny bit of water. Pat it into place and who will know?? Now add about 1/4 C of flour to the bottom of the crust that is in the plate and spread it around with your fingers so it covers the bottom.
Slowly spoon in the apples. They won't be mounded up and I think that is just dumb anyway. It is so hard to get them done when they are so thick. Add the butter on top of the apples in the pie plate and then roll out the rest of the crust and do the same thing you did with the bottom. Slit the top like in the picture above and sprinkle with sugar. Into the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour. I always know it's done when it is bubbling in the center. I also want to add that I use a pastry "sock" over my rolling pin and once it is rolled in the flour on the pastry cloth nothing sticks to it either. This looks like a lot of blah blah but once you get this crust recipe you are set for fruit, pudding, meat, chicken or any kind of pie. 
Have a Blessed Easter and wonderful weekend.