The Apple Pie, A Favorite Thanksgiving Day Recipe

One of my favorite Thanksgiving Day recipes is most certainly the apple pie.  I am not sure how or why but in my book it surpasses the pumpkin pie every time.  Two years ago I decided to make my first apple pie for our Thanksgiving family dinner.  Big problem, you see my cooking skills were less “make a homemade pie” and more “heat a hot pocket in the microwave”.  Fast forward to one of my favorite Thanksgiving Day recipes going horribly wrong when somewhere in the process, I decided that there was simply not enough sugar and began to improvise.  Big Mistake!  The pie tasted like a partially melted sugar cube and has been a source of humiliation ever since. 

This year I decided to redeem myself by taking on the elusive apple pie once again.  I googled recipes, watched the cooking shows and finally began peeling the apples.  I am happy to say that I feel it was a success, it looked like it came straight off the table of the Martha Stewart show and in my opinion it tasted delicious!  Apparently an apple pie does not require six pounds of sugar.  Now all I have to learn is that if I want to indulge in one my favorite Thanksgiving recipes at the end of our Thanksgiving family dinner, I may want to skip over that third helping of sweet potatoes.  Since I am still brimming with pride at the result and eyeing up the leftovers as a possible breakfast I thought I would share the recipe.

Apple Pie

• Crust:
• 1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
• Filling:
• 6 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (Gala and Granny Smith)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1.       Heat oven to 425 degrees 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; let sit for 1 hour in colander;(this keeps the filling from running out when it is served) spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Dot with butter; 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. chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes; Brush crust with evaporated milk and sprinkle with sugar

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. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving.

This recipe will be going into the book of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes and will surely be making an appearance for many years to come.  In fact I will probably make two pies so there is more for breakfast in the years to come.