No-fail crust from the cookbook of Resurrection Lutheran Church where Kerri was baptized and confirmed:
Sift 3 cups of pastry flour together with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cut in 1/2 cup very cold butter and 1/2 cup very cold lard until the mixture has the texture of cornmeal, but some pea-sized lumps of fat remain. For a vegetarian crust, just use 1 cup of butter, total. (You can pulse these ingredients in a food processor for 15 seconds to mix.)
Whisk together 6 tablespoons of ice-cold water, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
Make a well in the center of the flour-fat mix, to which you'll add the wet ingredients. Blend with a fork until incorporated, but don't work it too much. When the dough just comes together, divide into two balls. Wrap wax paper around loosely around each ball and flatten the ball into a disc about 5 inches in diameter.Â
Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes (a couple hours is ideal) while you prep the fruit.Â
The rest of the story:

Peel and thinly slice two or three varieties of pie apples. Haralsons are reliably good in pies, while Prairie Spy, Northwest Greening, Golden Russets and Black Oxford are our favorite Good Courage farm apples, unbeatable for flavor and texture. Sweeten with 3/4 cup of sugar and add a generous teaspoon of Penzey's apple pie spice.Â
Roll out your dough to fit your pie pan at a 1/4" thickness, making a top and bottom crust. Lay in the bottom crust, fill the pan with fruit, and dot the apples all around with a tablespoon of butter. Cover the fruit with the top crust, sealing and crimping the edges. Wash the top crust with a thin egg-milk wash, brushing it on evenly and then sprinkling the whole top with sugar. Slice a couple small openings in the top crust for steam to escape.
Bake for 10 minutes at 425 F. Cover the crimped edges with foil and then bake for another 45 minutes or until the fruit filling can be seen bubbling through the slits in the top crust.
Let your pie set up for 3 or 4 hours before serving with freshly whipped cream.
Comments