Classic Apple Pie

I love to bake different, interesting desserts with new recipes but sometimes it's good to go back to the basics.  I love apples and recently at Aldi, they have been on sale which makes me think I need to buy a couple bags every time I go in there.  Needless to say, I had apples everywhere and decided I needed to use the granny smiths for a pie.  I was just necessary ;)

Apple pie also makes me think of the holidays, I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving and being with family.  (Sister, I'm sorry I made your favorite pie while you were not here!) Anyway, let me know of your favorite holiday desserts and pies too!

Classic Apple Pie

 Start with 6-7 tart apples,

 peel the apples,

 then chop them

 into small slices

and place in a bowl

 add 2 Tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 

a couple pinches of nutmeg, and 1/4 cup brown sugar.

Mix together and let it set for a few minutes while making the dough.

 Prepare a basic pie crust , or you could also use a store bought crust but the real one is so much better and is pretty easy too when using a food processor. 

Start with 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 4 tablespoons shortening, 1 stick butter (slice butter and shortening into wedges)

 Pulse the mixture in a food processor until it looks like a course meal.  Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup cold water and pulse a few more times.

 Until the dough looks like this and you can form it into a ball. 

 Divide the dough into 2 pieces with a little more for the bottom crust

 Roll dough into a circle that is large enough for your pie dish.

 Place the first dough into the bottom of the dish, then add the apples.  I like to make sure the apples are pretty flat across the pie so there aren't lumps but that is purely optional and likely not important. 

 Place the top crust over the filling and seal the edges

 Bake at 400 degrees for 55-60 minutes.  

Enjoy with some vanilla bean ice cream!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

This is my favorite pie... seriously.  I love the mix of sweetness and tartness.  You don't have to do a lot of chopping or peeling so the mixture is really simple to make.  You can even buy a pre-made crust if you want.  I made a couple pies last weekend for Father's day and our dads loved them, Stephen was a little sad though that he missed out on all the pies so I made another one last night.   It was perfect and just hit the spot.  (Confession: I did the pre-made crust last weekend, I usually make my own crust but I was studying for a final and the pre-made was so convenient, it tasted great too).  So here it is...!

Pie Filling

1 carton of strawberries sliced(about 2-3 cups)
2 cups chopped rhubarb
3 Tablespoons corn starch
2/3 cups sugar (I think this is a good amount of sugar to give some sweetness but not being too sweet, you want to balance the tartness of the rhubarb).

Pie Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups shortening
6-7 Tablespoons cold water

This crust recipe makes 2 pie crusts (top and bottom).  First combine the flour and salt.  Cut the shortening into the flour until the shortening is in small pieces.  Gradually add the water while working the crust with your hands to form a ball of dough.  Work quickly to not overwork the dough, it will become tough instead of light and flaky.  Then divide in half and roll out into the size of your pie pan.  It doesn't have to be perfect, it will taste good!

Slice the strawberries into a bowl

Then chop the rhubarb stalks 

(some rhubarb is red, the kind from my grandpa is green but it's all the same)

Combine strawberries and rhubarb then add the sugar and corn starch.  Stir until the mixture becomes smooth and the sugar is mixed in, it will look funny at first but just keep stirring.

Add the filling to your pie crust 

(I try to make sure the filling is really flat across the top of the pie so the crust will lay smooth on the pie.)

Put the top crust over the filling.

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

Place foil or a pie crust protector around the edges to make sure the edges don't get too crispy.

Remove from oven and let cool for about 30 minutes to let the juices set up.  

Then enjoy while warm!