Apple Pie

I have been on the quest for the perfect apple pie recipe for the longest time. I love Martha Stewart's crust recipe, but I have never been thrilled with any of the pie fillings I have tried.  I really liked the results from using Gala apples.  I usually like a tart apple, like Granny Smith, in my apple desserts, but the Gala apples cooked beautifully.  This pie is spectacular on its own, but even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Perfect for fall and even more perfect for your Thanksgiving table.

Apple Pie

Crust:
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, cold, cut into small pieces
¼ to ½ cup ice water

Filling:
3 pounds Gala apples, peeled, cored and sliced
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
juice from ½ lemon
2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons cream

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.

With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of the dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out both refrigerated dough disks into a 12 inch circle. Place one into a 9 inch pie pan, trim the crust ½ inch from the sides.

Stir together the apples, sugar, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add the apples to the pie pan. Cut the butter into ¼ inch cubes, dot the apples with the butter pieces. Cut the remaining dough into 1 inch strips, weave a lattice top onto the pie. Brush the top with the cream.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 40 minutes more. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

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