Step-by-Step Recipe: Best Ever Apple Pie

First things first--time for a confession.  I made a pie yesterday.  An apple one.  But I did not make pie crust.  Yes, yes, I know *how* to make pie crust.  I just...didn't feel like it.  And I'd never used the ready-made stuff before, so I wanted to see how good it was (and just how easy).  And let me tell you...I can see why people don't bother to make their own crust.  :)  The Pillsbury stuff tasted good and was the easiest thing to use ever.

Okay, now that that's over...I *did* make the filling, which I think is more complicated than the crust.  Have you ever had apple pie where the apples weren't soft enough? (Ick.)  Where they were still sour tasting and not saucy enough?  (Gross.)  Well, if you make this filling, you will not experience that.  This smelled like...heaven.  And it tasted pretty great, too.  So if, like me, you've been scared or nervous to make an apple pie...fear not!  Try this recipe (and consider cheating with a storebought pie crust if you must), and you'll feel like a pro!

Start by assembling your ingredients (apples not pictured--I used a mix of Stayman, Granny Smith, and Macintosh).  Note: that weird brownish thing sitting at the intersection of the sugars and flour?  That's a nutmeg.  I keep one in a tiny jar in my pantry and grate it fresh when a recipe calls for it.  It tastes SO much better fresh.

Next, melt the butter over medium heat.  (This is when I started peeling the apples, to get a head start.  I did it by hand this time, rather than use my fancy apple peeler thing.)

Once the butter is melted, add the flour and cornstarch.  Stir until it makes a paste.

Then add the next 6 ingredients: water, vanilla, sugars, nutmeg and cinnamon. (You can see the fresh nutmeg on top of the white sugar.)

Stir everything together until smooth.  It will already smell awesome at this point.

Bring the mixture to a boil.  Then reduce the heat and let it simmer for a while to thicken.

Meanwhile, finish up those apples.

Check on the sauce to see if it's thickened.  Try not to eat it yet, because it's really hot and will burn your tongue.  Trust me.

Now it's time to add the apples!  Gently stir them into the sauce (trying not to break up all the apple slices).  Then fill the prepared bottom pie crust with the apples.  (Sorry--I must've forgotten the camera here!)

Once the apples are all evenly spread and secure in the bottom crust, lay the top crust on top.  Gently press it on top of the apples, and then fold the edges over the bottom crust and "crimp" or flute as desired.  (Or if you're like me and have a ruffled edge pie dish, you can be lazier.)  Use a knife to make slits in the top of the crust to allow steam out.

Then mix up a quick egg wash (see proportions in recipe below), and brush the top crust lightly.  (This is optional, but an egg wash always makes a pie look better!)

Bake in the oven for 1 hour, and make sure you have a snack handy, because the smell will be overpowering, and you will be tempted to gnaw off your own arm.  Tip: I have an oven liner sheet at the bottom of my oven so that if anything bubbles over, it doesn't burn on the bottom of the oven.  Spills just wipe right off.  If you do not have one of these (got mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond), you might want to put a cookie sheet or something under the pie.

Let it cool at least 20 minutes before serving.  We ate ours several hours later, and it was awesome.  (Sorry, no pictures of the servings.  Bad blogger Julie!)  Here, my husband shows how much he liked it.  (He told me it was possibly the best apple pie he's ever had.)

Best Ever Apple Pie Filling, recipe found at TastyKitchen.com
Time: 30 minutes + 1 hour baking. Serves: 8.

Ingredients

• 1 stick Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
• 3 Tablespoons Water
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
• ½ cups Brown Sugar
• ½ cups White Sugar
• 1 dash Nutmeg
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• 6 whole Baking Apples, Peeled, Cored And Sliced
• 1 whole 9-inch Prepared Pie Crust With Top Crust (optional)
• 1 egg (for egg wash, optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour and cornstarch to form a paste. Add water, vanilla, white sugar and brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer for a few minutes, until thickened.
3. Wash, peel, core, and slice applies.
4. Add the apples to the sugar sauce and pour into the prepared pie crust. If using a top crust, place over the apples and brush crust with an egg wash for a nice sheen, if desired. Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water.
5. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. Let sit for about 20 minutes for the apples to cool and thicken a bit.