Apple Pie

Crust
2 1/2 cups white flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter, broken into small pieces
5 tbsp. cold vegetable shortening
8 tbsp. ice water
Measure the flour, sugar and salt together. Stir to combine. Add the chilled butter pieces and shortening to the bowl. Cut them in with a pastry cutter of knife. Do not over mix. Add ice water. Mix until the dough holds together, then divide in half. Flatten each half into a disk, wrap in saran wrap and chill for at half an hour. Roll out one of the disks on a lightly floured surface until you have a circle that is 12” in diameter. Put the circle in a 9” pie plate, trimming any extra dough from edges. Return to refrigerator until you are ready to make the pie.
Add filling
Roll out second ball of dough and cover top of pie. Use fork or your fingers to pinch the edges together. Cut a couple of slits in the top.

Filling
1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
8 medium sized Granny Smith apples
2 tbsp. Margarine
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel, core and slice the apples. Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl. Stir in apples. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with margarine. Cover with top crust and seal the edges.
Bake 40-50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.

Apple Pie in My Family
Apple pie is a sure sign of Thanksgiving in our family. My great-grandmother, from what I hear, made the best apple pie. I never tasted hers, but my grandma’s tastes like heaven to me!

Why I Like Pie
I like apple pie because of the wonderful combination of cinnamon and apples. The crust is so flaky and tasty.

Interesting Historical Notes:
Granny Smith Apples originated in Australia and were coined ‘Granny Smith’ after Mary Ann (Grannie) Smith.
Salt, one of the key ingredients in pie, was part of prehistoric man’s diet.
Historians believe that the Greeks originated pie pastry.

Sue Smith