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We harvested enough apples this year to preserve more apple slices and make applesauce for the first time.  Nana has made apple pies for years, but of course, it tastes so much better when you know how much blood, sweat, and tears have gone into a dish.  Thank you, Aunt Jill, for your diligence.  And thank you, God, for the harvest.  When Nana is at the grocery store, she looks for any sweet tart apple, or a mixture of apples.  She especially likes the Pink Lady variety.  This might be one reason that we included them in our small orchard.

We often end up eating apple pie in the fall after harvesting our apples, but everyone knows that apple pie served with a scoop of homemade ice cream in the summer is amazing.  If you have your own apple trees or made a haul on reduced priced apples, you may want to try Nana’s apple pie filling so you can enjoy your apples year-round.  You may also enjoy your apple pies on the Thanksgiving table along with pumpkin oatmeal cookies.  A crowd favorite in our family is Aunt Jill’s Not the Same Ol’ Dump Cake.

Makes 1 Pie
but Doubles Well
Ingredients

 

Filling

  • 7-8 apples
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk

 

Instructions

Pie Crusts – Prepare enough dough for a pie crust on the bottom and the top.

  • Roll out half of the dough, and place it in the bottom of a pie pan.
  • Roll out the other half to a similar size, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • Refrigerate both while making filling.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with rack towards the center of the oven.

 

Filling

  • Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and place in a bowl.
  • Sprinkle both sugars, salt, and remaining 3 spices over the apples.
  • Toss until all apples are evenly coated.
  • Set aside for about 1 hour at room temperature. (Save the juice created by the apples.)
  • Toss apples with cornstarch. Then, place into prepared bottom crust.  (Using your hands, pack down the apples to a height even with the edge of the pie pan.)
  • Pour the juices (up to 1 cup) into the pie pan. (Below are ideas for remaining juices.)
  • Slice the butter into small pieces and dot them over the apples.
  • Place remaining pie crust on top. Cut slits.  (For pies, Nana usually cuts slits instead of doing lattices.)
  • Whisk egg and milk together. Brush on the top crust.
  • Place prepared pie on cookie sheet and bake for 50 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown. (If the top of your pie browns too much, loosely place foil over the top. Sometimes foil is needed just around the edges.)
  • Let cool slightly before serving so that the juices can thicken.

 

Many times, when Nana lets the apples sit with the spices, the apples will make more juice than needed in the pie.  Not to worry.  Just drain and save this juice.  Cut more apples, throw them in a skillet with the reserved juice, add a little butter, and cook until softened.  It becomes a delicious snack by itself, or you can add it to oatmeal, granola, or vanilla ice cream.

 

“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Psalm 34:8