Grandmother’s Apple Pie


 
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Grandmother’s Apple Pie
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
55 mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
 
I’m not sure this is actually my grandmother’s recipe for apple pie, but my mother claimed it was so. We never wrote it down, she just made it from memory every time.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Author: Jayne
Ingredients
Pastry
  • 3 ½ Cups flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 ½ sticks unsalted butter
  • 4 tbsp vegetable shortening
  • 8-10 tbs ice water
Filling
  • 12 Granny Smith or Pippin apples
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp each ground cloves cardamom, and nutmeg
  • juice of one lemon
  • ½ tsp cream of tartar
Instructions

  1. To make the pastry: Use butter and shortening that are as cold as possible. Combine all the ingredients in your food processor, mixer with the pastry beater, or by hand, if necessary. Divide the dough in half. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

  2. Lay out two side –by- side overlapping pieces of plastic wrap on your work space. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Roll out the dough from the center toward the edges until it is 1 ½ “ larger than your pie plate.
  3.  Flip the plastic wrap over the top of your pie plate and carefully peel it off from the edges. Gently push the dough into the crease between the bottom of the pan and the sides. With a sharp knife cut away the edges even with the outer edge of your pie pan. Set the scraps aside. Put the pie pan into the freezer for 25 minutes.

  4. To make the filling: Peel, core, and slice the apples.

  5.  Put the apples in a 3-4 quart kettle along with the sugars, spices, lemon juice and cream of tartar. Cover and place over low heat for 20 minutes. 

  6. Pour the filling into the frozen pie shell. Cover with the second half of rolled out dough and repeat the process of trimming the edges. Take the scraps of dough and role them into ¼” "ropes" with the flat of your hand. Make a decorative edge on top of the rim, brushing the edges first with warm water to help it stick to the rim. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55 minutes.

Recipe Notes

It’s wonderful with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My father liked it with a slice of cheddar cheese on top.