| Pastry for 2 crust pie | ||
| 5 to 6 | tart apples (Granny Smiths are perfect) | |
| ½ to 1 | cup | sugar (depending on your taste) |
| ¼ | tsp. | cinnamon or nutmeg |
| lemon juice | ||
| 1 | egg | |
| water | ||
| 2 | tbsp. | softened butter |
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Line a 9 inch pie plate with the rolled out pastry. Spread the bottom of the crust with a little of the softened butter. Peel and core the apples. Cut into cubes about 1" in size and put them in a large bowl. Sprinkle a bit of lemon juice over them to keep them fresh. Mix the sugar and spice with the apples and toss gently with a spoon. Add a bit of lemon juice to moisten. Fill the pie shell generously with the mixture. Make sure that all the sugar and spice mix is in the pie shell. Dot with remaining butter. Moisten the pastry edge with water. Put on the top crust fitting it loosely to allow for shrinkage. Trim excess pastry from edge, leaving enough to finish pie edge. use either your thumb and index finger to crimp the pastry or a fork to make decorative edges around the pie. Pierce several slits in the pie top to permit steam to exit or make a 1" hole in the center. If you do this, make leaves from the excess dough and attach to the shell around the hole with water. Make a dorure (one egg, 1 tablespoon water) and brush the pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes in the very hot oven. Open the door for a moment and lower heat to 350°F, checking every 15 minutes to see if crust is golden brown. Serve hot or cold.
You may also add nutmeats to this recipe. Use walnuts or pecan. You may also substitute bourbon, cognac, armagnac, brandy or applejack for the lemon juice to give it a little holiday kick.