Apple Pie

In my family, we typically only make apple pie for Thanksgiving, and we do have it at every Thanksgiving. The holiday just doesn’t seem complete without it.

This recipe is a simple apple pie; no streusel topping or anything fancy. But it does have a delicious cinnamon and sugar mixture coating the apples and on top of the crust. It’s a timeless pie, and perfect for any occasion.

The recipe is straight-forward, and you don’t have to worry about making the pie crust from scratch. I always just use a refrigerated pie crust from the grocery store. First thing, slice the apples. I always peel them first. I am not a fan of having the skin on a baked apple. And I slice the apples pretty thin, and cut each slice into smaller pieces. I find it easier to eat the pie if everything is already bite-sized instead of needing to cut through the apples while eating.

Next, grease a 9-inch pie dish. Flour one side of one pie crust, and place it floured-side down in the pie dish. Mold the sides to form to the pan. Next, beat the egg white until it’s bubbly. Use a pastry brush to spread half of the egg white on the bottom and sides of the crust (the rest will be used later). The reason we use an egg white wash is to prevent the filling from seeping into the crust and creating a soggy crust. The egg white acts as a water-proof barrier.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small dish. I use a 6-to-1 sugar to cinnamon ratio. If you want more cinnamon sugar mixture, you can increase the amounts while still keeping the ratio. Sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar over the sliced apples and mix them well. Then add the pinch of nutmeg. Pour the apples into the prepared crust. Then, place small dabs of butter around the top of the apples. Supposedly, adding butter to fruit-filled pies helps to prevent the fruit’s juices from bubbling over and creating a messy-looking pie. Also, the butter helps to add some richness to the filling.

Place the second crust on top of your apples and butter. Pinch and seal all of the edges, so that the filling does not come out. Then, trim the excess crust around the edges. Spread the remaining half of the egg white on top of the crust. Having the egg wash on top gives the crust a golden and polished look, making it look more appetizing. It also helps to make sugar stick. Sprinkle some more cinnamon and sugar on top of the crust. Finally, use a knife to cut a few small slits in the top crust. Doing this allows steam to escape while the pie is baking. If we didn’t make these cuts, the steam would build up and cause the crust to become soggy.

Bake the pie for about 1 hour, or until the top looks nice and golden.

You may notice that my pie has 2 stick figures on it. There is a story to that... One Thanksgiving when I was young, my sisters and I were helping my mom make the apple pie. She had already trimmed off the excess dough from the top crust. For some reason, my sisters and I started talking about decorating the pie, making it Thanksgiving-themed. And so we decided the pie needed a pilgrim and Indian. So I set about making them. But let's be real, I'm not an artist. And trying to cut figures out of dough isn't easy. So I ended up with stick figures. I also cut out a pilgrim hat and a feather for the Indian. None of us could stop laughing. It then became a running joke that every year, the apple pie needed the pilgrim and Indian, or it just wasn't a real Thanksgiving. So, to this day, I still decorate my pie every year. 😄