Classic Apple Pie
Although apple pie has a natural image, commercial apple pie can have twice as much fat and twice as many calories as French fries(!), and a higher dose of both than even chocolate cake, because of the fat in the crust.
Here¹s a recipe for REAL old-fashioned apple pie. Our favorite pie apples, alone or in combination, are Granny Smith, Pippin, Golden Delicious, Rome, and Mcintosh.
Filling:
3 pounds (1 1/2 kilo) of apples, 6 to 8 apples, or about 9 cups when peeled and sliced (each half cut into eighths).
1/4 cup arrowroot powder (60 mil)
1 tsp. Cinnamon (5 mil.)
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg (2 mil.)
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt (1 mil.)
3/4 cup brown rice malt syrup (180 mil), or part pure maple syrup
1 Tbs. Lemon juice (15 mil.)
Double Crust Pastry:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (360 mil.)
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour (360 mil.)
1/4 tsp. sea salt (1 mil.)
1/2 cup light vegetable oil (walnut, safflower, canola, etc.)
Up to 1/2 cup (120 mil.) dry or wet sweetener (brown rice syrup, FruitSource syrup, pure maple syrup, barley malt), optional.
Up to 1 cup water, apple juice, or cider (230 mil.), less (none to 1/2 cup) with wet sweeteners, and more (1/2 cup to 1 cup) with dry sweeteners.
Glaze:
2 Tbs. brown rice syrup or FruitSource syrup
2 tsp. Water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C or Moderate Heat). Brush a 9- or 10-inch pie pan with oil.
To prepare the pastry, mix the dry ingredients. Stir in oil, then sweetener. Add liquid gradually to form a pliable dough.
Divide the dough in half, and roll out each half separately between sheets of wax paper. Lay the bottom pastry in place, and trim so that the dough barely extends over the rim of the pie pan.
To prepare the filling, in a large bowl, mix apples with dry ingredients, then mix in wet ingredients.
Fill the Pie. Invert the top crust onto filled pie shell. Trim the top pastry so it extends 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the pan. Fold excess top pastry under the bottom pastry to form a rim. Crimp or flute with your fingers or press with a fork to seal. With a fork or knife, poke holes in the top crust to serve as air vents.
To prevent excessive browning, cover the rim with foil. Place a baking sheet or a piece of foil on the shelf under the under the pie pan to catch the dripping juices.
Bake the pie until fruit tests tender when pierced with a small sharp knife, 50 to 90 minutes depending on the apples. Remove the foil. If desired, mix the glaze ingredients and brush it over the surface and rim of the pie. Return the pie to the oven for 5 or 10 minutes more. Or brush crust lightly with water and sprinkle with a tablespoon of organic sugar crystals.
Transfer pie to a rack to cool for at least one hour before serving, for the juices to become saucy. If desired, serve with a scoop of your favorite frozen dessert.
Thanks to Meredith McCarty for this recipe! This recipe, and the four recipes below, come from Meredith¹s award-winning (and mouth-watering) book, “Sweet and Natural — More than 120 Naturally Sweet and Dairy-Free Desserts”.
