Delicious Homemade Apple Pie
My daughter made this delicious apple pie for Father's Day and it was a huge hit.
2 cups flour
1/2 cup ground almonds (we ground our almonds in a blender)
2 sticks butter, cut into cubes and chilled
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 to 6 Tbsp. cold water
Combine the flour, almonds, salt and brown sugar in a food processor/blender and pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. You want the butter chunks to be pea size. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until your dough begins to clump together.
Remove dough from processor and place on a floured counter top. Divide the dough into two balls. Gently roll each dough ball out into a circle. You should be able to see little bits of butter through the dough. The butter makes the crust flaky. Roll the dough around your rolling pin and gently place it in a 9" pie pan. You will repeat this process for the top of the pie after you have placed the filling inside.
To Make The Apple Pie Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
7-8 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup apple juice, plus 1/2 tablespoon flour (place apple juice in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Slowly add the flour whisking as you add. Cook until juice is a syrup consistency).
2 tsp. vanilla
Combine sugar, flour and spices in a bowl. Mix the apples so they are well coated. Add the apple juice syrup and vanilla.
Spoon the apple filling into the bottom crust.
Roll out 2nd ball of dough and repeat as above. Place on top of apple filling. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears. Fold dough under itself so that the edge of the fold is flush with the edge of the pan. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.
Whisk two egg whites with 1 tablespoon sugar and brush on top of the crust. Cut a piece of tin foil larger then the pie and cut a hole in the center large enough to cover the center of the pie, but not the edges. Place tin foil on top of pie and fold over edges. The only thing that is covered is the pie edge.
Place pie in a preheated 375 degree oven. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until juices are bubbling. Take tin foil off last 10 minutes to brown. Let pie stand for 1 hour and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.
