One of the first things I learned to bake after my husband and I got married was apple pie. I liked using Comstock canned apples. My husband kept urging me to use fresh apples. We made a deal, if he would peel, I would be happy to use fresh apples. Since then, we have always made our apple pies with fresh apples.
One Saturday in 1985 I came home from an all day shopping trip with my mother, my sister, my two daughters and my niece, dead tired I might add. When I got home my husband and my son-in-law were in the kitchen peeling apples. My son-in-law had several apple trees in his backyard and he thought it would be great if I would bake a bunch of pies and put some in the freezer. Much to my exasperation, I agreed to make the pies, but only if we went out to dinner afterwards.
Since I had to double the recipe my son-in-law grabbed an envelope and wrote down the ingredients as I named them. I am writing this recipe with the words my son-in-law used (the words in brackets are mine). You see, my son-in-law died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 42 in 1993. He and my daughter had been married for 20 years. He was like a son to me. I treasure this recipe written on the back of an envelope.
2 quarts of home grown apples [14 large red delicious apples makes about 2 quarts steamed purchase at the store, I might add]
1 cup of white sugar [granulated]
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
8 tablespoons of flour
8 tablespoons of butter
Peel and core the apples and cut into thin slices. Barely cover the bottom of a large cooking pot with water and add the sliced apples. Set heat to low, stirring occasionally until apples are barely tender. When apples are ready drain and return to pot. Add all ingredients, mixing well, except the butter. You will notice that as you are mixing the apples juice starts to accumulate in the bottom of the pot. Divide the apples evenly into two deep pie dishes. (I always bake my pies in two of Grandma Bonnie's pie dishes made by Longaberger Pottery of Newark, Ohio. The bottom of the pie browns much better in a Longaberger pie dish than in an ordinary ovenproof glass dish.) Dot the top of each pie with 4 tablespoons of butter. Add top crust and make cuts or designs as you prefer to allow steam to escape. If you should use apples that are not as sweet as Red Delicious apples, you may want to add extra sugar. Preheat the oven and bake at 425 degrees for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. The pies should be nice and brown. The bottom will continue to cook after removing from the oven in the Longaberger pie dish.
We made five apple pies that Saturday afternoon. At the bottom of the envelope my son-in-law wrote his last thoughts after the pies were finished, "5 double crust recipes for 7 quarts of apples."
I have always used the basic two crust pie recipe from my Betty Crocker Cook Book; the one I received for a wedding present so many years ago. I am sure most of you have your own favorite pie crust recipe, but just in case you don't I am including my Betty Crocker recipe. However, I have increased the ingredients somewhat since using the deep dish Longerberger pie dish I need just a little extra dough. Also, sometimes, there is just enough of the apple mixture and the dough to make a little "mini" pie to sample just to make sure it tastes okay before serving to my family.
4 1/2 cups of GOLD MEDAL flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups CRISCO shortening
8+ tablespoons cold water
Cut shortening into flour and salt with pastry blender. Add cold water gradually while mixing with big spoon. At some point I put down the spoon and use my hands (I do wear gloves as I hate getting pie dough under my finger nails). Knead dough and divide into four parts. Roll 2 pieces of dough and place in pie dish. Add filling and top with butter. Roll remaining two pieces of dough and place on top, crimp edges and make slits in top to allow steam to escape. You will note that I have used capital letters for GOLD MEDAL flour and CRISCO shortening. I have tired other brands and they never turn out as well.