March 24, 2004
A friend of Joe’s tasted my apple pie recently, loved it and asked me to post the recipe online. “Recipe?” I laughed. “I kinda guess at it.” What follows is my best reconstruction of the recipe.
Prepare bottom crust in 9 or 10 inch pie pan. Combine apples, sugar and spices and flour; pour mixture into crust. Dot with butter, then seal top crust, making sure to provide holes for steam to escape. Bake in preheated 350 degree (Fahrenheit) oven until apples are tender when tested with a knife (this will take 60 to 70 minutes, depending on the apples).
Many varieties of apples will make a good pie, but we prefer Cortland or Macintosh. Tart apples, such as Granny Smith, will require extra sugar.
The flour, used to thicken the filling, may be decreased if the apples are less juicy.
As for the spices, the 1 teaspoon of cinnamon is a good starting point, but the others can be varied or substituted to taste. Experiment and have fun!
Other variations may include substituting brown sugar for part of the sugar; using a lattice-top crust; or skipping the top crust entirely and adding a crumb topping such as the one used for our Easy Coffee Cake.