Rustic Apple Pie

It's been a busy few days. I decided to hop in my truck and drive 8 hours to visit family and friends. The drive through the mountains would of been beautiful, but it was a rainy day and the clouds/fog pretty much covered all the views.  Wasn't worth stopping to take pictures, blek! :(. Hopefully the drive back will be spectacular! I'll let you know next week. :)

So, realizing that I haven't made anything for over a week, I let my granddaughter decide what to make. Haha, yes, I had the foresight to pack a few of the cookbooks with me :) She chose apple pie since they had a whole bunch of crab apples, but they didn't have shortening. So...off to the store ...

The kids helped me make the pie and it wasn't until it was finished that I remembered I should be taking pictures...ahh, well...I did get a picture of the finished pie...so that is something!  I call it 'Rustic Apple Pie' - even with the mixed up weave of the pastry strips, it still turned out pretty enough to make the kids proud :)  And it tasted great too - thankfully, since I got a bit worried that the crab apples might be a bit too tart!

I followed the instructions as posted, except I found there really wasn't enough liquid in the pastry to have it hold together so I added probably about 2 more teaspoons of water, and it was VERY thin when rolling out, but that was me....I should of paid more attention, I don't think the recipe for SWEET PASTRY was meant to be for a double crust, so after separating the dough into two balls,  I cut the second ball in to strips to cover the top.  

Everyone liked the pie and it was simple enough to make, and I think fairly foolproof.  So for that reason I would probably make it again (but double the sweet pastry recipe for a bottom and top crust).

Sweet Pastry 
Rich and sweet for fancy tarts
Robin Hood Flour Cook Book - 1947  (pg 90)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup sifted Robin Hood Flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp shortening
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp cold water

DIRECTIONS

1. Sift together flour and salt into mixing bowl.
2. Add sugar and mix well.
3. Cut butter and shortening into small pieces and add to flour mixture.
4. Blend together thoroughly, using pastry blender (or two knives, cutting in with scissor-like motion). Butter and shortening should be well blended into mixture.
5. Beat egg yolk slightly.
6. Add lemon juice and water.
7. Add a little at a time to the flour mixture, blending in lightly with a fork.
8. When adding liquid, drop it here and there over the mixture so it will be better distributed. Mixture will be crumbly.
9. Turn out on to lightly floured bakeboard or pastry cloth and press together into ball.
10. Knead for 15 seconds (turn dough over 4 or 5 times)

Apple Pie 
First choice - with all the family 
Robin Hood Flour Cook Book -  1947 (pg 95)

INGREDIENTS

(For Eight-inch Pie)

• 4 1/2 cups thinly sliced apples
• 1/2 to 3/4  cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp butter

For Nine-inch Pie

• 6 cups thinly sliced apples
• 3/4 to 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare pasty as in General Directions for Two-Crust Pies (page 94)
2. Wipe, quarter, core, peel, and slice apples, then measure
3. Combine sugar and cinnamon (amount of sugar depends on tartness of apples)
4. Arrange apple in layers in pastry-lined pie plate.
5. Sprinkle each layer with sugar and cinnamon.
6. Dot top layer with small pieces of butter.
7. Cover with top crust
8. Place pie on lowest rack in oven preheated to 450 F (very hot oven)
9. Bake 10 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 350 F (moderate oven) and bake for 30 - 35 minutes longer.
10. Serve warm or cold.

Note: I didn't make the Two-Crust Pie Pastry, so I ignored Step 1 - General Directions for Two-Crust Pies (page 94) But I will post them at some point :)