Apple Pie

To bring a loved one home, bake an apple pie with them in mind and place it near a window to cool.

Apple Pie

 My mom says just use the apples you have, and the best apples for pie were from Granny's old apple trees near Lake Simcoe. MacIntosh have good flavour but get mushy in a pie. Try a combination of MacIntosh with Cortland or Granny Smith apples.  We like a pie crust made by hand from the recipe on the box of Maple Leaf Tenderflake lard, see the recipes listed under "Pie Dough"

• 5-6 large or 6-8 medium apples
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3/4 to 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• dash salt
• 1 Tbsp butter
• Pastry for 2-crust, 9-inch pie

1. Wash, core, peel and thinly slice apples into large bowl.
2. If apples are sweet or bland-tasting, toss with lemon juice.
3. If apples are very tart, don't use the lemon juice.
4. In a small bowl combine sugar, flour, spices, dash of salt.
5. Mix dry ingredients with apples.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
7. Line a 9-inch pie plate with rolled-out pastry.
8. Fill with apple mixture.
9. Dot with butter.
10. Add top crust and seal, fluting edges with fingers.
11. Cut slits in top to allow steam to escape.
12. Sprinkle top crust with sugar (optional, I usually don't).
13. Bake in preheated 400 degree F oven for 40 minutes or till done.

Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

Boston pastry chef Louise Miller published her first novel in 2016. The City Baker's Guide to Country Living is about a Boston pastry chef who goes to Vermont, develops the perfect apple pie recipe, and finds love. The character dyes her hair different lurid colours with Manic Panic hair tint, while I'm really hesitant to do anything about my now-white hair.

 I read the book sitting beside Norm, who is recovering from mouth cancer surgery,  while he scrolled on his phone while watching the Montreal Canadiens being eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup playoff finals.

I would really like to bake this pie, an interesting recipe because you briefly cook the apples first. But I'll wait until I can share it with him. And anyway I see that I have only a few large apples left from the 8 pound bag I bought to make pie. 

Here's the recipe, shared at the end of the novel. I've edited the instructions for brevity.

Use a 9" deep-dish pie pan and 4 lbs of "mostly Cortland and McIntosh apples, with 1 or 2 Granny Smith thrown in for tartness and texture."

Double Crust Pie Dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 Tbsp (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp solid vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
• 6 Tbsp (or more) ice water

1. In a food processor, pulse together 3 cups flour, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, 3 Tbsp shortening until mixture looks golden and resembles coarse cornmeal.
2. Pour flour mixture into a large bowl.
3. Add  the 3 Tbsp ice water a tablespoon at a time, lightly fluffing the mixture with your fingers, until the dough just begins to come together. Squeeze a little dough in your hand and if it clumps do not add more water.
4. Gather dough into a ball, divide into two pieces, flatten into 2 discs, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
5. Roll out dough 1 disc at a time. Don't use too much flour (add a bit more if the dough is sticking to the table, but once added you can't take it away.) Never roll pastry dough using a back-and-forth motion, always work from the centre and roll out to keep from working the gluten too much.
6. Use one rolled out dough disc to line a 9" deep dish pie pan.
7. Place the second rolled-out dough disc on a cookie sheet.
8. Place both discs back in the refrigerator to rest.

Filling

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 pounds apples (Cortland & McIntosh + 1 or 2 Granny Smith)
• 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 egg white, beaten (for the crust bottom)

1. Arrange oven racks or remove one to fit a tall pie.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Remove rolled dough from the refrigerator and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg. Set aside.
5. In a large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter. (If your pan isn't big enough to accommodate all the apple slices at once, cook the apples in 2 batches using 1 Tbsp butter in each.)
6. Toss in peeled, sliced apples and stir so they are coated in butter. Cook about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
7. Leaving the liquid in the pan, remove the apples from the skillet (use a slotted spoon) and put them in the large bowl with the sugar mixture. Toss to coat apples. Set aside.
8. Brush the inside of the bottom pastry crust with beaten egg white.
9. Pile the sautéed apples into the crust, then cover with the remaining rolled-out pastry disc.
10. Trim the crusts, then pinch them together using your thumbs and index fingers.
11. Slice air vents into the top crust.
12. Leave the top crust plain but if desired, for a shiny crust brush the top crust with an egg wash OR for a brown and soft crust, brush it lightly with milk.
13. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees F.
14. Place a cookie sheet inside the oven and place the pie pan on the sheet.
15. Bake about 50-60 minutes until the crust is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
16. Let cool completely before serving.

Note from the story: A blue-ribbon pie doesn't have a soggy bottom crust.

American Honey Apple Pie

The Salem Cross Inn, a 1705 farmhouse in West Brookfield, Massachusetts, hosts the New England Beehive-Oven-Baked Apple Pie Contest. The pies are baked in the Inn's 300-year-old brick beehive oven. This recipe was the winner in 1993 and was on the Inn's Thanksgiving menu in 1995.

Use Granny Smith apples, or if you can find them: Rome Beauty, Jonathan, or Winesap.

• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• dash salt
• 2 Tbsp margarine or butter, melted
• 6 to 8 medium cooking apples (7-1/2 cups) peeled and sliced.
• 1 recipe rich pastry for double-crust pie
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 Tbsp coarse sugar

1. Line pie plate with pastry
2. Mix together honey, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt.
3. Toss sugar mixture with peeled and sliced apples.
4. Put apple mixture in pastry-lined pan.
5. Top with pastry.
6. Prick pastry top with fork to make vents.
7. Brush pastry top with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
8. Bake pie in bottom third of preheated 425 degree F oven, 15 minutes.
9. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F, bake 40 minutes or until pie crust is golden, apple filling is bubbly, and apples are soft when pierced with knife through vent.
10. Remove from oven and cool pie in pan placed on rack.

Sugar Crust Apple Pie

A recipe from Canadian Living magazine.

Filling:

• 8 cups (2-1/4 lbs) peeled, thinly sliced tart apples
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pastry:

• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 3 Tbsp softened unsalted butter
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup ice water

Glaze:

• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp water
• 2 tsp white granulated sugar

Make Pastry:

1. In a bowl, beat shortening and butter together until smooth.
2. Stir in flour and salt to make a coarse mixture.
3. Pour in 1/2 cup icy cold water at once, stir until a loose dough forms.
4. Flour your hands.
5. Gather dough into 2 equal-sized balls.
6. Pat each ball into a round 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick.
7. Wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until chilled.
8. On a well-floured surface with a well-floured rolling pin, roll out a round of dough to a 13" diameter circle, lifting pin at edge to maintain thickness.
9. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin, unroll over a 9" pie plate.
10. Use a sharp knife to trim dough even with edge of pie plate.

Filling:

1. In a bowl, mix together cinnamon, flour, sugar.
2. In a larger bowl, toss peeled and sliced apples with lemon juice and sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over apples, toss to coat.
3. Scrape apples into pastry-lined pie plate.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Finish Pastry:

1. Brush trimmed edge of pastry with water.
2. Roll out second round of pie dough to same-size circle.
3. Using rolling pin, without stretching, drape pastry over apples.
4. Trim, leaving 2 cm (3/4 inch) overhang, then fold under rim of bottom pastry.
5. Press together to seal.
6. Using thumb and index finger, twist rim to form a raised scalloped edge.
7. With sharp knife, cut steam vents in centre of pie.

Pastry Glaze:

1. Whisk egg yolk with 1 Tbsp water.
2. Brush egg mixture over top of unbaked pastry crust.
3. Sprinkle with 2 tsp sugar.

Bake Pie:

1. Bake pie in bottom third of preheated 425 degree F oven, 15 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F, bake 40 minutes or until pie crust is golden, apple filling is bubbly, and apples are soft when pierced with knife through vent.
3. Remove from oven and cool pie in pan placed on rack.

Lemon Meringue Pie with Sweet Pastry Shell

Sweet tart pastry dough

• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
• 1 large egg, separated
• 1-1/2 to 2 tbsp ice water

Lemon filling

• 1 large egg and 3 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 2 large unwaxed lemons
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

Meringue

• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar*
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling
• 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

*substitute an equal amount of lemon juice OR white vinegar for the cream of tartar if you don't have it.

Directions


pastry dough:

Process flour, salt, confectioners’ sugar and butter in a food processor fitted with a metal blade until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and resemble fine crumbs.
Add the egg yolk and ice water. Process again until the dough forms a ball and leaves the side of the bowl.
Add extra water if the dough seems crumbly or dry.

Form dough into a ball, press gently to get rid of cracks, wrap in foil,  chill  1 hour.
Remove dough from the refrigerator.
Let dough soften 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature before rolling out.
Roll out dough fairly thinly onto a lightly floured surface.
Press dough into tart pan and trim off excess.

To pre-bake the tart shell, take long thin strips of foil and fold them over the edge of the tart to protect and support the sides of the pastry shell. Prick the base of the shell with a fork. Chill for 30 to 40 minutes in the refrigerator. 

Bake the tart shell in a preheated 375°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until crust is lightly browned
Beat egg white with a fork and set aside.
Remove the foil strips and brush the tart shell with egg white.
Return shell to oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until pastry is golden and crisp.
Let the tart shell cool in the pan before removing. 

Lemon filling and meringue

Lower oven temperature to 325°F.

Using a lemon zester, scrape yellow rind from exterior of clean lemon. Do not include the white as it is bitter.

Set lemon zest aside.

Heat lemons a few minutes in the oven before squeezing to obtain more juice from them.

Or heat lemons slightly by soaking in hot water before cutting.

Juice lemons and strain out seeds. Use a strainer or squeeze lemons through cheesecloth.

Set lemon juice aside.

Put the egg, egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and beat until slightly thickened and a paler yellow.
Beat in the lemon zest, butter, whipping cream and finally the lemon juice.
Pour the filling into the prebaked pie crust and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until  filling is barely set in the centre.
Do not let it overbake.

Put the egg whites and cream of tartar in a grease-free bowl.
Using an electric whisk, whisk until frothy and stiff peaks form.
Whisk in 1/4 cup sugar until the meringue is thick and glossy.
Fold in the other 1/4 cup sugar and the zest using a metal spoon. 

Pile the meringue onto the tart, swirling and peaking.
Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon sugar. Meringue will cut easier if a little sugar is sifted over it before browning.
Return the tart to the oven for 30 minutes, until meringue is browned and crisp on the outside.
Serve just warm or cold.

Meringue cuts easier if you use a heated knife to slice the pie.

Makes one 9" tart.

Pat-in-the-Pan Pastry and Fruit Pies

When he retired, Nan's husband Earl organized all of her recipe clippings in a binder so she could easily access them. Nan told Earl there was an easier way to get a pie-- go buy one at the grocery store.

The Mennonite Pastry is a recipe from Earl's binder. I don't know if Nan ever made it.

The pastry doesn't have to be rolled out as the ingredients are sifted right into the pie pan. Fill the crust with fruit. If using a quiche filling, I'd leave out the sugar.

The first recipe has ingredients mixed in a bowl then patted into the pan with fingers or a fork.

No-Fail Pat-in-a-Pan Baked Pie Crust

Flaky and not tough, for when you need a baked pie crust but don't have a rolling pin.

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• vegetable oil spray

In a bowl, mix together shortenng, sugar, flour, salt with a fork until it looks like corn meal.

Add 3 Tbsp water, one Tbsp at a time, until the dough sticks together.

Spray a 9-inch pie plate with vegetable oil and plop the pie dough into the pan.

Mash the batter into the pan, starting at the edges.

Prick the bottom with a fork and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until golden.

Mennonite Pat-in-the-Pan Pastry from Earl's Binder
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose white flour OR whole-wheat flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. white granulated sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup oil (corn, canola or vegetable)
• 3 Tbsp. cold milk 

Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a 9-inch pie pan.

In a measuring cup, beat oil and milk together with a fork.

Pour all the oil and milk mixture on top of dry ingredients in the pan.

Mix to dampen all the flour mixture.

Press the dough with your fingers to line the bottom and sides of the plate.

If it's too uneven, use a plate to squish the dough down evenly on the bottom.

Flute the edges with your fingers.

 

Fruit Filling for Pat-in-the-Pan Pastry

• 4 cups berries OR 5 cups peeled & sliced fruit (apples, peaches, pears)
• 3/4 to 1 cup sugar (to taste)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (omit for berry pies) OR 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 - 4 Tbsp flour (the juicier the fruit, the more flour you should use)
• 2 Tbsp soft butter

Wash and drain fruit.

If using apples, pears or peaches, peel and slice the fruit.

In a bowl, toss the fruit with flour, sugar, cinnamon and/or nutmeg. 

Add a teaspoon of lemon juice for tartness if using soft, sweet apple slices.

Pour fruit over unbaked pastry in pan.

Dot with the butter.

Top with crumb topping, if desired, before baking.

Crumb Topping:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter

Mix together flour, sugar and cinnamon.

Cut in butter with a fork and blend till crumbly. 

Bake filled pie in a preheated 425 degree F oven 40-45 minutes. 

Note: If you want to bake the shell unfilled to use in another recipe, prick the pastry with a fork and bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes or so--keep an eye on it!

Rhubarb Pie

Marilyn's Rhubarb Cream Pie

Every spring, Mom picks rhubarb from her backyard garden and makes this recipe from the original red-and-white-check-covered Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. She starts watching her rhubarb in March, hoping it will grow enough by Mother's Day to make a pie. When I call her, she updates me on the progress of the rhubarb in the spring.

When my sisters and I became mothers she began inviting us for a Mother's Day lunch and would make this pie for dessert.

Her pastry is from the recipe on the Maple Leaf Tenderflake Lard box and the pie always tasted best when baked in her old aluminum pie plate. She's now give the pie plate to me, so now I'm always watching the rhubarb in my front yard, planted under the Tulip tree, hoping the rhubarb grows enough  to be picked by Mother's Day.

When you pick fresh rhubarb, make sure you leave the main stem. Cut the leaves off right in the garden and put them around the plant as mulch, to deter insects.

Mom's original recipe needed 5 cups of fresh rhubarb and had a solid pie crust top.

If you don't have enough rhubarb or pastry, try the recipes that match the quantity you have.

Original Recipe using  5 cups of Fresh Rhubarb:

• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 large eggs
• 5 cups cut-up rhubarb stems

1. In a bowl, blend sugar, flour, nutmeg and butter.
2. Add lightly beaten eggs, beat smooth.
3. Put chopped rhubarb in a pastry-lined pan.
4. Pour batter over rhubarb.
5. Top with pastry round, flute edges of crust.  Prick top of pastry with fork.
6. Bake 10 minutes in a preheated 450 degree F oven.
7. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and bake 30-40 minutes more till done.

Lattice-Top 9" Pie using 4-1/2 cups of Rhubarb

This recipe is from the June 2003 Chatelaine magazine. 

• Pastry for a 9-inch two-crust pie
• 4-1/2 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb, rinsed and dried.
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Roll out a round of pastry on a lightly floured surface and line a 9-inch pie plate. Don't prick the crust. Set aside.
3. In a medium-size bowl, whisk 2 egg yolks with melted butter.
4. Stir sugar with flour and then stir into yolk mixture to form a paste.
5. Stir rhubarb into egg mixture and turn into pastry in pan.
6. Roll out remaining pastry dough and cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) wide strips.
7. Weave strips over filling to form a lattice pastry top.
8. Gently press edges to bottom crust and flute.
9. Bake pie on bottom rack of 425 degree F oven just until edges start to brown, about 10 minutes.
10. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until rhubarb is tender, 40-45 more minutes.
11. Remove pie from oven.
12. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Lattice-Top 10" Pie using 4 cups of Rhubarb

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3 beaten eggs
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 4 cups cut-up rhubarb
• 1 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Beat eggs slightly, beat in milk.

Mix sugar, flour and nutmeg together. Stir into egg mixture.

Mix in rhubarb.

Pour mixture into 10 inch pastry lined pie plate and dot with butter.

Cover with lattice top pastry.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 50 to 60 minutes

Lattice Top 9" Pie Using 3 cups Rhubarb or Sour Cherries

• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 3 cups cut-up rhubarb or sour cherries
• 2 tsp butter

See instructions for Lattice Top 10" Pie.

NOTE: If pastry is browning too fast, turn temperature down to 375 degrees F.

             

Rhubarb Butter Crust Pie or  4" Tarts

This recipe is from the May, 2014 issue of Chatelaine Magazine. It has a butter pastry crust, made in a food processor, with a lattice top, and the filling is flavoured with vanilla.

Pastry

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed
• 4 to 5 Tbsp ice-cold water

Whirl flour with 2 tsp granulated sugar and salt in a food processor.

Add butter.

Pulse until finely crumbled.

With machine still running, add water, 1 Tbsp at a time, through the spout.

Continue whirling until a ball forms, 30 seconds.

Divide pastry in half.

Form into 2 discs.

Wrap each with plastic and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Filling

• 7 cups chopped fresh rhubarb, about 750g
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp coarse sugar

1. Combine rhubarb with 1 cup granulated sugar in a large saucepan and set over high.
2. Boil, then reduce heat to medium.
3. Cook, stirring often, until  mixture is very thick and reduced to 2-1/2 cups, 20-35 minutes.
4. Time will depend on water content of rhubarb.
5. Stir in vanilla and cool slightly, 5 min.

Assembly

1. Position oven rack in lower third of oven.
2. Preheat to 375 degrees F.
3. Beat egg with water in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 pastry disc into a 13 inch circle.
5. Lift onto a 9-inch metal pie pan set on a baking sheet.
6. Press dough over bottom and up sides of pan, leaving 1-inch overhang.
7. Scrape rhubarb mixture into pastry.
8. Brush overhang with egg wash.
9. Roll out second pastry disc into a 12 inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick.
10. Cut into twelve 3/4 inch strips.
11. Lay 7 pastry strips vertically across pie.
12. Fold back every other strip, then lay a new strip horizontally.
13. Straighten folded strips back across pie.
14. Fold back alternate strips, then place a new strip horizontally above the first one.
15. Repeat until pie is completely covered
16. Fold overhanging pastry over lattice strips to seal.
17. Crimp edges inside the pan.
18. Brush lattice and overhang with egg wash.
19. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
20. Bake in lower third of oven until golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes.
21. Transfer pie to a rack to cool completely, 1 hour.

To Make Four 4-Inch Tarts

1. Make pastry as above but divide pastry into thirds.
2. Shape one-third of the pastry into a cube.
3. Divide remaining two-thirds of the pastry into 4 discs.
4. Wrap each with plastic and chill 30 minutes.
5. Roll each disc into a 7 inch circle.
6. Press pastry into four 4-inch tart pans (1-1/4 inch deep) set on a baking sheet, leaving 1 inch overhang.
7. Brush overhang with egg wash.
8. Divide rhubarb mixture among the four pastry shells.
9. Roll out the pastry cube into a ten-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick.
10. Cut in half, making three rectangles.
11. Cut each rectangle crosswise into twelve 3/4 inch strips, creating 24 strips 5 inches long.
12. Lay 3 strips vertically across each tart.
13. Follow instructions for lattice top as in the pie, above.
14. Bake in lower third of oven until golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes.
15. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Fresh Peach Pie

If fresh peaches aren't quite ripe, put a few holes in a paper bag and keep the peaches in the bag for a few days until ripened.

• 4 cups sliced fresh peaches (8-10 medium peaches, peeled and sliced)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 4 tsp lemon juice
• pinch of salt (1/8 tsp)
• pastry for a double-crust pie

Wash peaches, peel, then cut in half.

Scoop around the pit with a measuring spoon to get the pit out.

Slice peaches. Toss with lemon juice.

Combine sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.
Toss with sliced peaches and lemon juice mixture.
Turn into a pastry-lined pie plate, top with pastry.
Seal and flute edges of pastry.

Score top crust.

Bake 15-20 min. in preheated 450 degrees F oven.

Lower temperature to 350 degrees F.

Bake 25-30 minutes more or until crust is lightly golden.