Love on a Plate

Nana's baking is famous within the family and our circle of friends. There are certain items that make the top of the list; apple pie, lemon meringue pie, blueberry muffins, my favorite cookies we call them date-balls (but they should have a more glamorous name), ginger snap cookies. That's just the first few things on a long list of confectionary delights. Some of the recipes are old family recipes which some day I would like to put into a book. I don't know where the apple pie comes from, maybe a favorite cook book. The true magic of the apple pie Nana makes us all (often) is the love she bakes into it, and just the right amount of working the dough. I'm a novice when it comes to baking apple pies, but with Nana's guidance I have made a couple yummy ones. I think those pies have actually brought me closer to some of my friends and certainly brought more love into our lives. I think of this apple pie as Love on a Plate. Because it just is. And tis the season for apple pie - it's a long season, thankfully.

Crust
5 Tablespoons butter (I use salted and reduce the salt in the recipe)
5 Tablespoons shortening
2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (or 1 teaspoon if you've got unsalted butter)
1/4 to 1/2 cup very cold water (in Massachusetts, in the muggy climate Nana uses 1/4 cup, here in California where it's dry I use 1/2 cup)

Nana uses a pastry blender. I use my kitchenaid mixer.
Mix the dry ingredients together, then blend in the butter with the mixer or the pastry blender until it forms pea sized balls, add ice water and blend a little more - it should still look like a course meal. Using your hands, form a couple disks of equal size, wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour.

Filling
6 to 8 big Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
juice of a lemon
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl.
Peel, core and slice the apples. I use a one of these - not that exact one, but a similar one and it makes life easier!
Squeeze the lemon over the apples
Pour the sugar mixture over the apples and mix together.

When assembling the pie crusts I like to use a silicone baking mat. Because, unlike my mother I'm no expert when it comes to handling the dough.
Roll the dough, rolling in just one direction at a time (don't roll back and forth, back and forth)
If you start with a disk it should follow that the crust will then be round. Make it so.
When transferring your crust to the pie plate, drape it over your rolling pin and then (with the plate very near your freshly rolled crust) place it onto the pie plate.
The crust will hang over the sides, let it, but just by about 1/2 inch, if there is excess, cut it off with a sharp knife.

Fill the crust up with the apple mixture.

Roll out the top crust and repeat the [painfully difficult] task of transferring the crust onto the apples. The top crust should hang over beyond that of the bottom crust by another 1/2 inch. Roll the top crust over the bottom crust and pinch it so it seals the crusts together. Make pie edge using your fingers or a fork to make a pattern and reinforce the seal.

Brush the top crust with milk or egg white. Bake at 350 until nicely browned.

Eat! I know what I'm making for dessert tonight, never mind that it's already 4:30!