Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The Perfect Apple Pie!



In my family, pi day isn't just a day to celebrate a mathematical constant -- it's a day to celebrate PIE. Specifically, my mom's apple pie. I'm might be biased, but it's just SO good. Like, I'm pretty sure world peace could be achieved if everyone tasted this pie. They'd all be like "OMG this pie is so good! Why were we arguing again? I don't even remember... Goodness, this crust is so light and flaky!"

For the pie crust you'll need:

1-3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup oil
3 tbsp. water

Mix the flour, salt and oil and then add the water and roll out. Sometimes my mom will use a frozen crust like Oronoque Orchards, and that's still fantastic, but this really is the best! Now, for the rest of the pie you'll need:

6-8 tart apples (my mom recommends Empire)
1 cup white sugar
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
dash of ground nutmeg
2 tbsp. butter

Pare and core the apples, and then slice them VERY thin. Part of what makes this pie so mouth-wateringly delicious is the finely sliced apples. This way they cook all the way through and pretty much melt in your mouth! Combine the sugar, flour and spices and then mix with the apples. Line a 9" pie plate with one half of the crust, and fill with the apple mixture. Cut the butter into little pieces and sprinkle it on top of the filling. Add the top crust, and then cut slits for steam. I think today it would be fitting to arrange those slits in the shape of the pi symbol, yes? ;)

Sprinkle some sugar on top, and then bake at 400' for 50 minutes. I personally prefer the pie cold, so I put my share in the fridge overnight -- but only because my dad and brother know that I will tear them to shreds if they take so much as one bite. If you like hot pie, or if you can't trust your family members, let it cool for about 30 minutes after it's out of the oven and then dive in!