Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Great Grandma's Recipes - Homemade Apple Pie

OKAY... So I debated on this awhile... I wasn't sure if I wanted to give out my family recipes, keep it in the family and all that what-not.

Then I thought.. why not?

Why not share some of the amazing things that I grew up knowing and loving, with you?

These recipes will always and forever remind me of a being a child and going over to my grandma's or great-grandma's. Please feel free to use them but if you do, note where they came from and let me know how it turns out for you!


Homemade Apple Pie


 

Ingredients -  

          Crust:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup shortening (Crisco is what I use)
  • 4 tablespoons cold water

          Filling:
  • 8 Apples (Generally Granny Smith)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 9-in pie tin/dish



I start with peeling and coring and slicing the apples into a large bowl.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Start with the crust first, in a bowl, combine flour and salt.
Add in Crisco, you can use the regular shortening like mom used to cook with or you can add the baking sticks, I've used them before and they seem to work pretty well! Plus, on the side of the stick it tells you how much it is on lines so you can "cut out your cup."
Gradually add cold water, and mix until dough forms a ball. I generally like to do this part with my hands because it makes me feel like a kid again and it makes baking fun!
You need to chill the dough for 30 minutes, so while you do that you can make the filling.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Add nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon juice. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

On a floured surface, roll half of dough out... grandma said to make a circle with the dough but well... that's near impossible for me, so just roll it out until you can cover the bottom of a 9-in pie pan/dish.
Take the filling off the heat and add it to your sliced apples and mix together well. Make sure all the apples are covered and then pour the mixture on to the crust in your pie tin/dish.
You can do the top how ever it suits you. I like to do the lattice but it's easier to just cover it and cut slits.
To do a lattice cover I find it easier to start in the middle and work your way out.
Roll out your dough and cut about 1-in slices.
Lie your first layer of dough slices evenly spaced apart on top of the filling.
We'll say the slices are north to south.
Then, grab a long dough slice and lie it in the middle facing east to west, in the center. Pick up every other dough slice and weave in the new dough slice.
I find it easier to just pick up every other one and lightly fold it over, just make sure it doesn't stick to itself, and lie the dough slice in the middle and then fold it the pieces back over the new slice.
Keep repeating the process for both sides until the whole top is covered. (I will include step by step pictures next time I make a pie.)

Pinch the ends of the dough slices to the bottom crust to for the edge. I like to pinch and roll the edge and use my finger indents to make it look a little "fancier". If your just cooking it to eat up soon and it's just you and your family, you can just pinch it to make sure it's shut ;).
(Optional: Melt about a tablespoon of butter, mix "a pinch" of cinnamon in and brush it on the crust. This 
should a a little flavoring and give it the more brown color and crunchy crust.)
After the edge is sealed, put the pie in the oven on 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. Don't cook it too long or you'll burn the edges. If your edges are getting brown a little too quick put some foil around the edge just over the crust, don't put it over the whole thing.
After 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for another 30-45 minutes. I usually do about 30 minutes, but every oven cooks differently (Even if it's set on the same temperature).


Viola!

If you look at the pictures you can see the different ways that I cook and how each one turned out. Yes, they are all different pies. The first picture is with out the foil and didn't cook for the full 45 minutes. Second, covered with foil and didn't cook the full 45 minutes. Third, I didn't cook with foil and let it cook for the full 45 minutes.

I hope you enjoy your new recipe from my Great-Grandma's Recipe box. How did yours turn out? Does it taste how you would hope? Do you have a new recipe to add to your recipe box? Please, let us know! I'm going to be adding more recipes here soon, so keep watch!

(Please, if you want to share your experience with the recipe on your blog, pinterest, or any other social media make sure you let everyone know where you got it, it's only fair that my Great-Grandma get credit for her recipes.)

 


2 comments:

  1. I found this recipe to make for my boyfriend who is moving, turned out great! Love from San Diego CA. thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are very welcome! I hope he enjoyed it! I'll be posting more recipes soon, so keep an eye out, maybe he'll like those too, haha! Good luck with moving :)

    ReplyDelete