Granny Miller's apple pie

APPLE PIE
7 - 10 firm apples - peeled, cored and sliced.Cortland and Spy apples are my favorite for pies.
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pastry for a 9" or 10" pie plate or tin
*************************Step 1Make the pastry for a double crust pie. Please check here if you need a crust recipe or don't know how to make one.Wrap the pie pastry in wax paper or plastic wrap and set it in the refrigerator while you work on the apple filling.I like to use butter for my pie crust.But the pie pastry I made the day before yesterday was made with lard.It was wonderful, thin and flaky.But take care, sometimes lard in a pie crust will give some folks heartburn.

Step 2Prepare the apples.Peel, core and thinly slice the apples.I use an apple peeler to do the peeling. It works pretty good most of the time, but I can never get it to core the apples the way that it's supposed to.I usually don't have time to fiddle with kitchen contraptions, but one of these days I'm going to make the time, and see if I can get the apple peeler to work better.The apple peeler leaves grooves in the apples.I used to think that the grooves were unsightly, but I have gotten used to them.Now I think they actually look good once the apples have been cooked in the pie.Kind of like potato chips with ridges. But I have digressed with talk of kitchen gadgets......Let's get back to the recipe.Once all the apples are sliced, place them into a large bowl and sprinkle them with lemon juice so they don't turn brown.But honestly, I don't know why I still do this.I never manage to get all the apples peeled and sprinkled with lemon juice in time before they start turn brown.In fact most of the time the apples are turning brown before I get them off the apple peeler.Not to mention that once they are covered with the sugar,cinnamon and flour mixture and cooked, you can't tell that they ever turned brown.I'm digressing again..........The point of Step 2 is to peel, core and slice the apples.Sprinkle them with lemon juice if you want to and then set them aside.

Step 3Mix the apple coating.In a separate bowl combine the sugar, flour, corn starch, salt, cinnamon and apple cider vinegar.Mix it well with a fork until all the dry ingredients are well incorporated. The mixture will be brown and crumbly.Now, turn the apples into the bowl a few at a time, and mix with a wooden spoon to coat them.

Step 4 Roll out the pastry for the bottom crust.I always use wax paper when rolling out my pie crusts. It's important not to over work the dough and only use enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the paper or the pastry board.Once you've put the bottom crust into the pie pan - put the apples in.Ignore the pie bird in the picture below - he just happen to be in the picture. Next step - roll out the top crust.Make the top crust a bit wider than the bottom crust.Because the apples will be heaped up in the pie pan, it will take a large top to cover them.Put the top crust on the pie and turn the edges under to seal the pie.You can crimp or flute the edges with you fingers, a spoon or the handle of a butter knife also works very well.I usually cut a few air holes in my pie tops but you really don't have to with this pie if you don't want to.To prevent the edges of the crust from over browning or burning, place thin strips of foil around the crust and remove the foil during the last 10 -15 minutes of baking.

Step 5Bake the pie for 40 - 50 minutes in a hot oven until nicely brown. 400F is just about right.Sometimes a really big apple pie will require more time in the oven.Once the pie is done, remove it from the oven and place it on a rack to cool.Some cooks will brush the top of the pie with egg white or milk to make the crust soft or shiny.But I don't usually bother.