Joy Of Cooking Apple Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the shortening in large chunks and blend with a pastry blender. Drizzle the ice water over the flour mixture and cut into/across the dough repeatedly with a rubber spatula. The quicker the pastry is made, the better. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Slice the apples a 1/4 inch thick. Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a large frying pan and sauté the apples until soft on the outside. Add 1 cup sugar and the cinnamon and nutmeg. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes. Take the apples out of the pan and arrange them on a plate or cookie sheet to cool.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Add the remaining 4 tbsp of butter and 1 cup brown sugar and cook, (medium heat) for 2 minutes. Add 1 tsp of baking soda and stir. Don't be afraid of he colour it turns, that's because of the baking soda, it's keeps it from hardening. The great thing about this caramel is it tastes like caramel apples because the apples were cooked in the butter.
• Take the pastry dough out of the fridge and role it out into 2 12 inch circles. place one in a 10 inch pie pan.
• Combine the caramel and the pre-cooked apples in a bowl and transfer into the pie crust. Place the second round of pastry over the pie and seal around the edges, rolling up any excess dough. Using a sharp knife, cut 4 slits in the top layer of pastry, to prevent explosion. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
• When the pie comes out of the oven, make sure you let it cool for at least 4 hours before eating it so it can set.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Prepare unbaked pie crust in 9-inch pie pan. Modify sugar amount based on tartness of apples, and modify cornstarch based on juiciness of apples. If dry, add some water or lemon juice. Stir apples gently until coated. Place in layers in pie shell. Dot with 1 1/2 tablespoon butter Cover pie with pricked upper crust. Bake 10 minutes at 450°F. Reduce heat to 350°F. Bake until done, 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle top with sugar and cinnamon, brushing with milk first. Alternately, replace upper crust with streusel

Steps:

• To make the pie:
• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Roll out half the dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, fit it into a 9-inch (1-quart) glass pie plate, and trim the edge, leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Chill the shell and the remaining dough while making the filling. In a large bowl toss together the apples, each peeled, cored, and cut into eighths, 3/4 cup of the sugar, the flour, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the salt, and the lemon juice until the mixture is combined well, transfer the filling to the shell, and dot it with the butter.
• Roll out the remaining dough into a 13- by 14-inch round on a lightly floured surface, drape it over the filling, and trim it, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under the bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it, and crimp the edge decoratively. Brush the crust lightly with the milk, cut slits in it with a sharp knife, forming steam vents, and sprinkle the pie evenly with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake the pie on a large baking sheet in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350°F., and bake the pie for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until the crust is golden and the apples are tender.
• To make pâte brisée:
• In a large bowl blend the flour, the butter, the vegetable shortening, and the salt until the mixture resembles meal. Add the 2 tablespoons ice water, toss the mixture until the water is incorporated, adding the additional ice water if necessary to form a dough, and form the dough into a ball. Dust the dough with flour and chill it, wrapped in wax paper, for 1 hour.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour and spices; set aside. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add sugar mixture; toss well to coat. Line a 9-in. pie pan with half the pastry. Place apple filling into crust; dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie. Cut a few slits in top. beat egg white until foamy; brush over pastry. Sprinkle sugar on top. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes. Increase temperature to 400 degrees F and bake 10-15 minutes more or until golden.

Steps:

• Chill your fat and water! This is essential. Cut your butter into small pieces and add to your measured flour and salt. Cut the butter in quickly and then cut in the shortening. Your mixture should resemble coarse meal. Bigger lumps of fat are just fine; aim for pea-sized at biggest. Slowly add the water and watch closely as you work it in with the edge of a spatula or continue pulsing. It should still look dry. Grab some with your hand and squeeze. Did it hold together? Then you have enough water. If it didn't, or you're not sure, add a little more and mix quickly. Test again. Divide the dough in half to make single crust amounts. Wrap up the dough up by placing a portion of it on a piece of plastic wrap. Using the wrap, instead of your hands, push the dough into a flat disk. Refrigerate this for an hour or more. Sometimes dough gets too hard in the refrigerator. If this happens to you, let it warm up a little (15 or 20 minutes) on the counter before you roll it out. Using a lightly floured board, begin by rolling from the middle of the disk up. Turn the dough one quarter and repeat. To avoid toughening of the pastry, always roll in one direction and turn the dough often. For berry pies or other pies that may leak, roll the crust a little thicker. Carefully fold the dough in half, pick it up and lay across the pie plate. Open up the dough and gently work it into the plate. If it tears or splits, just pinch it together again, or use scraps to repair any holes. Crimp the edges. Use the dough as called for in your recipe. Some call for an unbaked pie crust, and some call for a baked pie crust.