There are over 7,500 varieties of apples worldwide, and in the U.S., that are harvested three times a year. There is mid-summer peaking in late summer, late summer to early autumn and early autumn peaking as late as early winter. Late season apples, or winter apples, can be kept at cool temperatures above 32 degrees F. and will stay fresh into spring. Winter apples are great for cooking!
Braeburn, Fuji and Pink Ladies are just a few of the winter apples we see in stores. I prefer Golden Delicious for pie baking. It has a nice balance of sweet and tartness. They are soft but hold their shape well when baked. Other top apples chosen for pies are Granny Smith, MacIntosh, Honeycrisp and Pink Lady.
When making a fruit pie, I choose a butter crust recipe. When making a pecan pie, I usually go with lard or vegetable shortening. It’s just a preference. I’ve been using this crust recipe by Simply Recipes for the last couple of years and really love it. It gives you a step-by-step process of how to combine the ingredients to get the best crust each time.
First I mix up the dough and put it into the refrigerator. While it’s chilling, I peel and core the apples, toss them in lemon juice to prevent browning, then toss again in the sugar mixture made up of granulated sugar, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. I place the covered bowl into the refrigerator then roll out my dough.
Roll dough to fit your 9-inch pie plate.
Pour filling into unbaked pie crust and arrange apple slices evenly.
Cut three even strips of dough and braid.
Use stampers, or cookie cutters, to create designs.
Beat egg white, brush over the top of pie. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, or sparkling sugar.
Every oven is a little different so watch your cooking time. I decided to pile on more apples and added more lemon juice this time which caused more moisture within the pie. It was harder to get the bottom crust to bake without burning the top. It tasted amazing but was difficult to slice evenly.
My neighbors really loved it, too!
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