APPLE PIE SEASON!

IT'S APPLE SEASON...AND TO ME THAT MEANS DELICIOUS APPLE PIE!!!

ANYWAY YOU SLICE IT...THERE'S NEVER ENOUGH!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I wasn't going to make a flag cake for my parents Labor Day party because my daughter Rebecca would think its her birthday (since we make a flag cake every year for her)...and she would wonder where her presents were. So I came up with an idea when I was in the grocery store. I noticed apples on sale for 99 cents a pound. I immediately thought APPLE PIE! Here's my recipe for a fabulous apple pie.

CHRISTINA'S APPLE PIE

PIE CRUST:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus more for rolling)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces

1/4 cup ice water

In a bowl combine flour, salt and sugar. Add butter and mix until it becomes a crumbly mixture. Add water until dough sticks together.

Divide dough into 2 equal parts and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

APPLE FILLING

5 1/2 pounds granny smith apples (approximately 15 apples)

Juice of 2 limes

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

4 tbs. chilled unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces

1 large egg

2 tablespoons sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place in bowl and pour juice of lime over apples to prevent from browning (you could replace the lime with lemon if that's what you have...but I prefer the lime to the lemon). Un a seperate bowl combine flour, sugar and cinnamon. Pour mixture over apple slices and toss. Set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface roll out one dough about 1/8th inch thick. Roll dough around rolling pin, and place over a deep dish 9 inch pie plate. Place apple mixture into pie plate and mound it with all the apples. Dot butter to apples. Set aside.

Using remaining dough from fridge and roll out. Roll dough over rolling pin and place over mounded apples. Pinch layers of dough and crimp the sides.

Using a paring knife cut a cross in the center of the pie for ventilation. Whisk together egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush onto outer pie crust. sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until crust is golden brown approximately 40

minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool before serving

Sometimes I double the recipe and make small hand pies in addtion to a full fledged pie.

Before you know it...the pie will be gone...and you'll get raves of reviews!

It's apple season...make some this weekend! Enjoy....it's something alot of fun to do with the kids.