The Secret To A Perfect Apple Pie

I love apple pie, and so do Hawaiians. The secret is to use an apple that is tart and crisp after cooking, like Pippin or Granny Smith, the others seem to get mushy. When I am in a hurry I use pre-made refrigerated pie crust, like Pillsbury brand.

Easy Apple Pie

Crust Ingredients:
1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on the box, or make the crust from scratch.

Filling Ingredients:
5 cups sliced, peeled Pippen or Granny Smith apples (5 medium)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (1 large lemon)

3/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Procedure:

Heat oven to 425°F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom.

In a large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge, pressing edges together to seal; flute, or press with a fork like I did in the photo above. Cut slits or shapes in several places in brush crust an egg white, then sprinkle with sugar.

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. 

Makes 6 delicious servings, that is if you want to share. When people say “you can’t possibly eat all that apple pie by yourself” I say "watch me".

Note: I usually squeeze a lemon over the apple slices as I cut them to keep the apples from turning brown. Also I like to brush the top of the pie crust with egg white before sprinkling the crust with sugar. It helps the sugar stick and makes the pie look delicious.