If you have friends and family who love sweets, why not try this tasty recipe for your holiday get-together? This is something you can whip up the night before your event so it’s one less you thing you have to worry about. The only thing you have to worry about is being asked to make this pie every year after!
Filling:
- A cup of dried fruit: cranberries, cherries, raisins (regular or golden), and apricots.
- ¾ cup of granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour (bleached or unbleached is fine)
- 3 teaspoons of lemon peel, finely shredded
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 4 cups of Granny Smith apples (peeled, and sliced thin)
- 4 cups of your choice of red apples (Fuji or McIntosh, peeled and sliced thin)
- Light cream or half-n-half
- Granulated sugar
Pastry Dough:
- 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour (bleached or unbleached)
- ¾ teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup butter (cold, and diced into cubes)
- 1/3 cup shortening (diced as well)
- 7 to 8 tablespoons of ice cold water
Recipe:
- In a large mixing bowl, place together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and sugar) and stir. If you have not, dice up the butter and shortening into small cubes, a pastry mixer or blender might make this faster and then add to the dry ingredients. Slowly add one tablespoon of water at a time. Do not add the next tablespoon until all the water has been absorbed. Repeat until the dough as become moist and then divide it in half. Knead the dough until there are no air bubbles and a dough ball forms. From there cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place all your dried fruit in a bowl and add enough boiling water to cover the fruit. Let it stand for five minutes and then drain the water.
- In another large mixing bowl, add flour, ¾ cup of sugar, cinnamon powder, lemon peel, and salt. Mix. Then stir in both the apples and the rehydrated dried fruit.
- Flour a clean surface and roll out your pastry dough. One dough ball should be rolled into a 12 inch circle (large enough to fit into a 9-inch pie dish). Place the dough into the dish and then transfer the fruit filling. Trim any excess of the dough that hangs off the dish.
- Roll the other piece of dough into another 12-inch circle. Place the disc on top of the mixture. Pinch the two edges to close the pie. Cut two to three slits onto the top to allow the steam to escape.
- Brush either light cream or half-n-half onto the pie crust and sprinkle some granulated sugar. Cover the top with aluminum wrap. Place the pie dish on a baking tray to catch anything that drips.
- Place in over and cook for 35 minutes. Remove the aluminum wrap and then bake the pie for another 20 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.
The final step is to watch in delight as your friends and family devour this Christmas apple pie!
