Bridget Moynahan’s Apple Pie
“My mother made the most amazing apple pies our whole lives. We all looked forward to it. She of course being old school made crust from scratch. My father, in retirement, took over. He loved making pies. He was a chemist by trade and took pride in making very detailed recipes. He loves making apple pie and the complexity of its flavors. He insisted on several different types of apples… green apples, Macintosh were consistent. He played around with the third type of apple for a different flavor. The butter, sugar cinnamon mixture and the lemon all had to be added at certain times for the optimal flavor. He loved dessert. He took so much pride in his pies. I recently started modifying his pie and even moved it towards a crumble. I started cooking the apples before placing them in the pie shell. I am Even draining the apple juices to cook longer and adding vanilla to create an almost Carmel tone. The first time I made it, I thought…. man, my dad would love this!”
Pie Ingredients: 2 frozen pie crust sheets, defrosted, ¾ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, Dash of ground cloves
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, 2 large Cortland apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, 2 large McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, dices, ½ lemon
For Egg Wash and Finishing: 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch glass pie plate with one of the pie crust sheets.
- In a large bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk together until thoroughly combined. Add the apple slices to the bowl and toss until the apples are completely coated.
- Fill the lined pie plate with the apple slices, arrange them as compactly as possible. Depending on the size of the apples you’ve used, you may have some left over.
- Spread the butter pieces evenly over the apples. Squeeze the lemon over the apples, being careful to catch and discard the seeds.
- Center the second crust on top of the pie. Press the edges of the top and bottom crust together, the use a fork to make a uniform pattern all the way around the edge. Trim any extra crust around the edge of the pie. Slice three slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
- Wrap the edge of the pie crust with wide strip of aluminum foil to prevent the edges from burning. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 35 minutes more.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and cream for the egg wash. Remove the pie from the oven and remove the foil. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash, sprinkle the sugar over the top, and bake for 15 minutes more.
- Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.