Award Winning Apple Pie

By Molly Watman

I never considered myself a pie master until I recently won 1st place in an apple pie bake-off at my local Carroll Gardens greenmarket. My mom always made tons of pies at Thanksgiving, but in typical 80’s style, used frozen pie crusts. Now that us sisters have taken over, the crusts are always all-butter, and the fillings made from scratch.
Organic, unbleached flour is a must, as is organic butter and apples. You can taste the difference!
I also find that freshly shaved nutmeg adds that je ne sais quoi.

Makes 1 Apple Pie
with top lattice and bottom crust

Mix dry ingredients in a medium glass bowl and set aside:

1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 T organic white flour
1 T cinnamon
Generous grating of whole nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of kosher salt

Peel and medium slice:
2 organic Honeycrisp apples
2-3 organic green Grannysmith apples
Squeeze fresh lemon juice (2 lemons) on the apples and cover until ready to fill the pie. {The apples, since they are medium cut, tend to stay firmer, which mean no mushy texture.}

My pie crusts come from Smitten Kitchen. She describes the process in much depth. Keep in mind the dough needs at least an hour in the fridge to relax. I make mine the night before and pull out the two dough discs in the morning when I’m ready to roll it out.

I first roll out the bottom crust, form it into the pie tin (or glass), then put it back in the fridge.
At this point, combine the apples and sugar mixture until completely coated. They can sit on the counter while I roll out the top to a nice flat pancake. I then use a pizza cutter to cut 1.5 in strips from the rolled out dough. When these are ready, I quickly fill the cold bottom crust with the apples, careful not to dump in liquid which accumulates at the bottom of the bowl. Add a generous amount of butter chunks to the apples. Then I weave the strips on top into a lattice (much easier than weaving on the counter and trying to lift on top the apples after!) and cinch the edges all around. Brush the top with a little mixed egg white for a nice glossy sheen.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes depending on your oven. You’ll know it’s done when the crust is golden brown.

Let cool until desire gets the better of you and dig in. Enjoy!