As Sweet as Apple Pie

Y'all, I have eaten a lot of apple pie during my three decades of living. My dad has two apple trees in our backyard and we ate a LOT of apples as kids. He makes pies by the dozens and freezes them for later. So when I heard a story on NPR or an npr-esque podcast last week about the best, flakiest pie crust ever, I knew I had to try it.

So tonight's "friendsgiving" at a friend's parish young adult group was the night! Two recipes mixed together for the best apple pie I've ever eaten (not to boast too much). Oh and this recipe gives you a chance to use up a little bit of that vodka we all have lying around in our freezers - or is that just me? And yes - the vodka makes the crust so, so flaky - so don't flake out and skip it! Now a beautiful picture and the recipe so you can be the talk of the party for your amazing apple pie!

The Best Apple Pie Recipe

Prep: 60 minutes, Fridge: 45 min to 2 days, Bake: 50 min

Crust:

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup cold water

1. Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

It's going to be SUPER sticky - but that's okay. We were pressed for time, so we put it in the freezer for 45 minutes rather than the fridge. It could have used a little more time to chill before I rolled it out. Roll it out on a very floured surface so it doesn't stick everywhere. And if you get fancy, you can use some of the extra dough after you put the top in your pie to add in some fancy apples. Don't forget to vent the top so the steam can come out!

Filling:

6 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (6 medium)

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom.
2. In large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge, pressing edges together to seal; flute. Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust.
3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch wide strips of foil after first 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning.

I guarantee these two recipes will make your pie go from the above to this:

Happy Baking!!

(Sources: crust & filling)