The apple (pie) of my eye

I love the scent of apple pie baking in the oven, don’t you? I’ve been using the same recipe for the past 30 years and have tried others, but this one is for me. When I first made it, my boyfriend at the time (my now-husband) loved it and actually told his friends how good it was.

I have always put a heart in the center of the crust because I'm such a hopeless romantic. In fact, the one time I neglected what was to become my trademark for this pie, my boyfriend asked if I was mad at him. "Why?" I asked him. And he told me, "Because there's no heart in the pie."

There has always been a heart since then, because I loved that he said that.

My recipe comes from Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook (1959).



I used my new Emile Henry pie dish.



And forgot to put aluminum foil underneath because some of the juices dripped into the oven.

Ok. It was a lot of the juices. I’m such a klutz in the kitchen sometimes.



But I love this pie.

Here’s the recipe, straight from my torn and tattered cookbook:

FAVORITE APPLE PIE
(A pie that lives up to its name – plain or caramelized. It’s one of our best.)
Pastry for 2-crust pie
6 large tart apples
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. butter

Peel and quarter apples into sauce (cut each quarter into about 4 slices). Add 1/4 c. cold water; simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Cool.

Fill pastry-lined 9” pie pan with apples.

Combine remaining ingredients, except butter, sprinkle over apples; dot with butter. Moisten edges of undercrust.

Adjust top crust; cut 6 vents (cut like chevrons – 1 in each piece); flute edges.

Bake in very hot oven (450) 10 minutes; reduce heat to moderate (350) and bake 45 minutes longer. Makes 6 servings.

Variation --
CARAMEL APPLE PIE: Cover bottom pastry with 1/4 c. melted butter; spread evenly with 1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed, then sprinkle with 1/2 c. pecans. Follow above recipe, using only 1/4 c. brown sugar. This makes a luscious caramelized pie.

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I think it’s humorous that it says it only makes 6 servings, because I believe it makes a lot more. I use an old family secret recipe for the crust. At least, that's what I tell people when they ask me. It's actually boxed pie crust mix (either Betty Crocker or Jiffy) because it’s easier and it always comes out perfect. And believe it or not, I’ve never made the caramelized version. I may try that next time. Enjoy!