Few gastronomic delicacies can match the perfection of an apple pie, served warm, with a generous piece of sharp store cheese, and strong black coffee to drink.
Obviously you must start with good apples. That’s pretty easy if you live here in apple country, but more challenging if you must depend on whatever happens to be shipped in. The best pie apple is tart and flavorful and juicy.
Whatever apples you choose, be sure you have plenty of them. An apple pie should be generously heaped up, not just a set of crusts with a skinny layer of filling spread between. Lars’ Grandmother Roberts sometimes made her apple pie in a deep casserole dish! The following is just a general guide. The amount of sugar and the spices can be varied to suit your taste and the type of apples you’re using.
Prepare:
One uncooked pie crust and dough for top crust
Preheat oven to 220.
Wash, peel, core and slice:
8 large McIntosh or other flavorful tart apples (you may want to increase that by as much as 50 percent!)
Arrange the apples in uncooked pie shell, heaping at the center. Dot with butter. Mix together:
125 ml sugar
2.5 ml cinnamon
pinch of salt
2.5 ml allspice
Sprinkle over the apples. Cover with top crust. Bake at 220 degrees for 10 minutes, and then reduce temperature to 165 and bake for another 25 minutes, or until apples are done. This time can vary quite a lot with the variety of apple, by the way. Serve hot with a slice of sharp Vermont or Irish cheddar cheese.