Pantry Challenged: JEMMA’S APPLE PIE
It can be so hard for our little ones during these crazy times. Cooking together is helping and healing these days in our home. I simplified my all-time favorite apple pie recipe for Jemma to make and The Hubs and I both agree it’s the BEST apple pie we’ve ever tasted. Also, I was 16 years old when I rolled my first pastry crust. Here’s my kid at FOUR with rolling pin in hand! #ProudMama xoxo
Jemma’s Apple Pie
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
Pastry Dough for a 2-Crust Pie (see recipe below or use a store bought one)
1/2 cup sugar (brown sugar will work also)
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 lbs (about 6 cups) apples
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (can omit if you don’t have it)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter (salted will work also)
1 Tablespoon sugar (for dusting top crust)
Directions
On a lightly floured surface, roll our half the pastry dough and press into a 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
Peel and core apples, cut into thin slices and place in a large bowl. Add lemon juice and toss lightly to combine.
Add sugar mixture to apples and mix well.
Add apples to pastry dough-lined pie plate and dot with butter.
Roll out remaining pastry dough, place on top of apples and crimp edges. Make several slits near the center for steam vents while baking.
Sprinkle top of pie with 1 Tablespoon of sugar and bake for about 45-50 minutes until crust is golden brown and juices start to bubble in the center of the pie.
Cool partially on a wire rack and save warm or at room temperature.
Pastry Dough for a 2-Crust Pie
I usually use half shortening and half butter for my piecrust but on the day we made the pie pictured above, I used 3 parts shortening to 1 part butter due to what I had available and it was the best ever. Using all shortening, all butter or any combination of the two will work just fine for this crust.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into roughly 1/2-inch cubes
4-5 Tablespoons ice water
Directions
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt.
Add cold butter and shortening cubes to flour mixture and pinch cubes with your fingertips until mixture forms clumps about the size of tiny peas (clumps will be uneven.)
Quickly sprinkle ice water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, over all of the flour mixture, tossing lightly with a spoon until you can form the dough into a ball. (Don’t overwork dough.)
Flatten the ball into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest refrigerated for at least 30 minutes.
Remove pie disk from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes just to soften a bit.
Cut disk in half. Dust surface and rolling pin lightly with flour and roll one half into an 11-inch circle of about 1/8th thickness. Close up any cracks by pinching them together and smoothing out gently with the rolling pin.
Gently fit dough into the bottom of a pie plate and crimp edges with your fingers. Cover up any holes or cracks at this time. (A little water can be used to help with cracks just by dipping your finger in wet and gently pinching the dough back together.)
Repeat rolling process for top crust and bake as directed.
