Family Christmas (2/3) - Traditional Apple Pie

For the last several Christmas' I have spent in CA with my family I have been in charge of making the dessert. I usually make an Apple pie and a pumpkin pie and I have been known to swap out the apple for a pecan some years. One Christmas my cousin Laura just raved at how much she loved the cross hatch design on the top of the apple pie so I really try hard to make enough time to cross hatch it up. This year Gary helped me muster up the courage to use the Pampered Chef apple peeler corer slicer that my mom had bought me back in 2005. I had always been a little afraid of it because from the outside it seems like a lot of work to set up. I AM SO SO glad Gary convinced me and I am never going back. I think it would be a little too much work to peel, core and slice 1 apple using it but whenever I am going to need more then 1 I am for sure going to use the PCAPCS!! It peeled, cored and sliced 6 large granny smith apples in 10 min, with about 5 min set up time. It was wonderful. This is the recipe that was my inspiration this year.

Ingredients:

• 6 large green Granny Smith Apples peeled, cored and sliced evenly
• 3/4  cup  granulated sugar
• 1 1/2  tbsp  all-purpose flour
• 1  tsp  ground cinnamon
• 1/2  tsp  salt
• 1/4  tsp  ground nutmeg
• 1  tbsp  chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. To prepare filling, combine apple and next 5 ingredients (through nutmeg).
2. Toss gently to coat. 
3. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
4. Prepare the pie crusts by rolling out 1 pie disk into a circle just a little larger then your pie dish.
5. Press this into your pie dish.
6. Spoon apple mixture into prepared pie plate; top with butter.
7. Roll out 2nd disk into circle about the same size as your pie dish.
8. Using pizza cutter create 1 inch strips out of the pie crust.
9. Using every other strip create an over under cross hatch on top of the apple mixture. Don't be afraid to put the strips very close together. They will puff a bit when baking and create small separation.
10. Bake pie at 425 degrees F for 10 min.
11. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F(do not remove pie) and bake for an additional 40 min.
12. Remove pie and allow to cool 2 hours before serving.