Ingredients:
For The Crust:* (see note below)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick/2 oz./56g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup solid shortening (such as Crisco), chilled
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
*Note:
You may use ready-made store bought double crust pie dough, such as Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts instead of making pie crust dough from scratch.
For The Filling:
5 apples (such as Cortland, Granny Smith, or other baking apples), peeled, cored and sliced
3 to 4 firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice* (see recipe below for Homemade Apple Pie Spice)
1/4 cup boiled cider
1 tablespoon rum (optional)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
Serve with (optional)
Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or non-dairy whipped topping
Instructions:
For the Crust:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt, then cut in the chilled butter and shortening, mixing until mixture is well-combined and crumbly. Drizzle just enough ice water over the mixture to make it cohesive, tossing until dough begins to come together. Gather dough into a ball, divide in half and flatten each half slightly. Refrigerate, covered for 30 minutes.
Note:
If desired, you may use unbaked ready-made store bought pie crusts (such as Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts) instead of making dough from scratch.
For the Filling:
In a large bowl, stir together the filling ingredients, mixing until well-combined. Set aside.
To Assemble the Pie:
Remove one half of the pie crust dough from the refrigerator and roll it into a 12-inch round, then place it "gently" into a 9-inch pie plate. Spoon in the filling. Take the other half of the pie crust dough out of the refrigerator and roll it out into a 12-inch round and lay it atop the filling; seal, crimp and flute the edges. Brush the top crust with milk, and sprinkle it with coarse sugar, if desired. Or, using a small decorative leaf cookie cutter (if you have any leftover pieces of pie dough), cut out small leaves and lay them in the center of the crust or around the edges.
Note:
If you are worried that the crust will brown too fast, cover the edges of top crust with aluminum foil, and remove after 15-20 minutes of baking.
Bake pie in a preheated 425°F/220°C oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F/190°C and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Remove from oven to cooling rack, and let pie cool completely before serving.
If desired, serve each slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream or non-dairy whipped topping such as Cool Whip.
Makes 8 servings.
Homemade Apple Pie Spice
Ingredients:
3/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/8 teaspoons ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves or ground cardamom
Instructions:
Sift together all ingredients. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature. Keeps up to 3 months. If refrigerated, apple pie spice will keep up to one year.
Photograph taken by Diana Baker Woodall © 2001
Source: DianasDesserts.com
Date: October 13, 2001-Revised on March 5, 2008