traditional apple pie

To accompany the fried chicken and sweet potatoes I decided to make an apple pie.  This is pretty much a standard apple pie recipe.  I did, however, double the cinnamon and nutmeg and I added ground ginger.  I also doubled the white sugar and added some extra brown sugar too (I wanted it to taste spicy and sweet!) Since my fruit pies are frequently runny I also added cornstarch to thicken it.  I probably should have added even more cornstarch - it was still pretty runny.  I highly highly recommend the crust recipe but I wouldn't say I was overwhelmed by the filling, I think I'll try a different recipe next time.

Source: Mark Bittman
Prepared by: Andrea
Serves: 8

 Forf the Flaky pie crust
This makes 1 pie crust  - double it for apple pie where you will want a top crust too.
1⅛ cups (about 5 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus some for dusting work surface

½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into about 8 pieces
About 3 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed

Apple Filling:
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c white sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1.5 TBSP cornstarch
1 TBSP lemon juice
pinch of salt
5-6 apples peeled and sliced
a little bit of milk

To make the crust:
Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the container of a food processor; pulse once or twice. Add the butter and turn on the machine; process until the butter and flour are blended and the mixture looks like cornmeal, about 10 seconds. Place the mixture in a bowl and sprinkle 3 tablespoons of water over it. Use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to gradually gather the mixture into a ball; if the mixture seems dry, add another ½ tablespoon ice water. When you can make the mixture into a ball with your hands, do so. Wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into a small disk, and freeze the dough for 10 minutes (or refrigerate for 30 minutes); this will ease rolling. (You can also refrigerate the dough for a day or two, or freeze it almost indefinitely.)
 
For the filling:
Mix up the sugars, spices, and salt.  Toss the cut up apples slices and the lemon juice with the sugar-spice mixture.  Add cornstarch. Divide the dough ball in half, roll out a pie crust, place it in the pie pan, add your apple filling and dot with butter.

Place the other pie crust on top and pinch the edges. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.  Cut at least three long holes to vent steam.  Cook at 450 for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 350 and cook for 30-40 min until golden brown (don't undercook).