Happy Pi Day! Yep, it’s 3-14, National Pi Day and that means we’re celebrating with PIE here at The Culinary Center of Kansas City.
What is your favorite kind of pie? Depends on the day for me… but you just can’t go wrong with good ‘ol traditional Apple Pie, right? Here’s a favorite recipe from our CCKC ‘Main Dish’ Laura Laiben for Old-Fashioned Apple Pie. Try it at home and celebrate Pi Day yourself.
Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
Pastry
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/3 cup shortening, chilled
- 4 tablespoons butter, chilled
- 4 tablespoons water
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Mix together flour and salt.
Cut the shortening and butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, knife or your fingers until it has the grain of small peas.
Sprinkle the dough with cold water. Blend the water lightly into the dough with a fork, allowing the moisture to spread. Add more water if needed to hold the mixture together.
When you can gather the dough into a tidy ball, stop handling. Divide the dough into two pieces.
NOTE:Â If you do not want the dough to shrink during baking, then place in refrigerator for an hour or more. Let the dough come to room temperature before rolling.
Roll the dough using flour as needed to keep from sticking.
Line a 9†pie pan with pastry.
Apple Filling
- 6-7 cups apples (8-10 medium tart apples)
- 1 (+ or -) cup sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
Pare, core and thinly slice 6-7 cups apples sprinkling with lemon juice to stop the browning.
Mix the salt, flour (or 1-2tablespoons cornstarch), cinnamon and nutmeg (if desired) in with the apples. NOTE: Only very juicy apples require the larger amount of flour (or cornstarch). Stir the apples gently until they are well coated.
Place them in the pie shell. Dot with butter.
Cover with the second pie crust. Dot with butter and prick with fork. You can also sprinkle the top crust lightly with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla before you put the pie into the oven. Some cooks brush the top with milk.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake until done, 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.
NOTE: As the pie cools the filling will set slightly so don’t worry if the filling is slightly runny when it comes out of the oven.
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