Homemade Fresh Apple Pie

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 Sticks unsalted butter, well chilled and cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 1/4 Cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 Cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Cup ice water

Apple Filling

• 3 Golden Delicious apples (or other sweet apples)
• 2 Granny Smith apples (or other tart apples)
• 1/2 Cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 1 Tablespoon sugar

Directions

Crust

1. Combine the butter, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a food processor with a steel blade and pulse just until it resembles course crumbs. Slowly pour in the ice water and pulse just until combined and a dough ball forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Apple Filling

1. Peel, core and slice the apples. Combine them in a bowl with the sugar, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon and salt. As you mix you'll notice quite a bit of liquid puddling in the bottom of the bowl. Strain the mixture into a colander before placing in the pie shell.
2. After the dough has chilled, cut it in half and roll each half on a well-floured surface into about a 10" circle.
3. Place one circle on the bottom of a 9" pie dish and pour the apple mixture into the dish.
4. Cut the tablespoon of butter into several pieces and dot the top of the filling.
5. Place the remaining dough circle on top of the filling and crimp the edges for a tight seal. With a knife, make a couple of slits on top for steam to vent
6. Optional: Use a set of tiny cutters and create a border design of leftover crust dough.
7. Brush the top of the pie with the milk and sprinkle with the tablespoon of sugar.
8. Place the pie dish on a sheet pan (to catch drips) and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing. Makes 8 servings.