Recipe Mari Loewen
My idea of apple pie filling is definitely on the less-sweet side, so here I mix two types of apples: Honeycrisp, which are naturally sweeter, and tart Granny Smiths.
Whenever I try an apple pie, I’m always looking for that nostalgic taste of the Dairy Queen fried apple pie I loved back in my high school days, haha. Sadly, I’m sure the filling was mostly canned, but I loved that crispy crust and saucy, not-too-sweet apple filling.
Here’s my version of a traditional apple pie, made with fresh-picked apples and the flakiest homemade pastry. It’s heartwarming, delicious and well worth the effort. Serve it warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, and everyone will love it.
Ingredients
Filling
6 apples, ideally a mix of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pastry
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup cold vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon cold butter
2 tablespoons water
Preheat oven to 425°F.
For the pastry, butter a 9-inch pie plate. In a food processor, add flour, salt and shortening and pulse in a few-second increments until the mixture resembles small peas. Add water and pulse again, just until the dough comes together.
Remove dough and divide into 2 balls. Place each on a large sheet of plastic wrap, using the wrap to help gather the dough into a ball. Wrap tightly and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Roll each ball of dough out to about ⅛-inch thickness. Cover with a clean tea towel until the filling is ready.
For the apple filling, place apples in a large mixing bowl. Add flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, sugar, sea salt and lemon juice. Toss gently by hand until the apples are evenly coated.
Place one rolled pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Spoon filling into the shell, mounding it high and using all of the mixture. Cover with remaining pastry and trim to the edge of the pie plate with kitchen shears. Pinch and crimp edges to seal. Cut a few steam vents into the top of the pie.
Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake for another 30 minutes, or until pastry is beautifully golden and filling is bubbling.
Serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
