Nana’s apple pie
When I first met J.’s family in the summer of 2002, I fell in love with his grandmother.
When J. was in high school, his grandmother moved into his parent’s house. Since then, J. has always had a close bond with her. Nana was an amazing seamstress, Portuguese cook and American baker. The dessert she was best know for is her pie.
J.’s grandmother taught him how to make her renowned Apple Pie. Like many home cooks, she never wrote down her recipe or used exact measurements. Below is an approximation of her recipe. Enjoy!
Nana’s Apple Pie
- 2 Pillsbury Pie Crusts*
- 3lb. of Cortland, Fuji or Gala Apples peeled & roughly chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
- dash of nutmeg
- 3 Tbsp. flour
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 egg yolk
*FYI- Pillsbury Pie Crusts contain partially hydrogenated lard*
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F)
- Peel and chop apples. (Nana could peel an apple with a knife all in one piece… can you?)
- In a large bowl, add apple pieces, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and lemon juice.
- Mix to incorporate. (Nana used her hands to mix everything together, so J. does too.)
- Unwrap one of the pie crusts and place in a 9 inch, glass pie pan.
- With a small rolling pin, smooth out any bubbles so that the dough is flush with the pan
- Add filling
- Gently place the top crust over the filling
- Cut off the excess dough from the sides of the pie pan
- Gently fold dough under on lip of pan
- With knuckles of index finger, pinch the folded dough on a diagonal
- Whisk the egg yolk; brush a thin layer over top of the pie
- Fork holes on top
- Bake for 30 minutes or until light golden brown
- Cool on a wire rack
- Serve and enjoy!
for step-by-step images go to:
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/239254/
