All-American Apple Pie

Name: All-American Apple Pie
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 4 h
Yield: 10 serving(s)
Ingredients: 3 3/4 c. all-purpose flour; 1 tsp. salt; 1 1/4 c. unsalted butter (2 1/2 sticks); 6 tbsp. cold vegetable shortening; 3 c. Golden Delicious apples, cored, peeled, and sliced; 3 c. Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and sliced; 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice; 1/4 c. brown sugar; 1/4 c. granulated sugar; 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg; 1 tbsp. plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

By Christine MontalvoPublished: Jun 25, 2007

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christine montalvo with her award and pie

Michael Weschler

Yields:

10 serving(s)

Prep Time:

1 hr

Total Time:

4 hrs

Cal/Serv:

519

Cheryl Slocum, Country Living Food Editor, arrived at the 2004 Iowa State fair with a sweet mission: to find the best all-American apple pie. Seeking the perfect alchemy of fruity filling and flaky crust, she and fellow judges awarded the blue ribbon to Christine Montalvo (above), of West Des Moines. "The apples were tender, not mushy," says Cheryl, "And little cutouts of dough decorated the crust." Montalvo remembers: "While my ribs were smoking, I tackled pie and a conference call." The ribs also won a blue ribbon.

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Ingredients

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter (2 1/2 sticks)
6 Tbsp. cold vegetable shortening
3 cups Golden Delicious apples, cored, peeled, and sliced
3 cups Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and sliced
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions

1. Step 1Make the dough: Place the flour and 3/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to combine. Add 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the butter pieces and the vegetable shortening and pulse 6 to 8 times, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of cold water over the dough and pulse 3 to 4 more times until the dough begins to hold together. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together. Form the dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Step 2Make the filling: Combine the apples, lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and remaining salt in a large bowl and toss. Let sit for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours. Drain apples, reserving liquid. Toss apples with cornstarch and set aside. Place 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the remaining butter, bring to a boil, and let cook until the mixture becomes thick and syrupy. Do not stir. Add the syrup to the apples and gently toss to combine.
3. Step 3Bake the pie: Heat oven to 425°F. Roll out one disk of dough into a 12-inch round about 1/8-inch thick, on a lightly floured surface. Fit the dough into a 10-inch pie plate. Trim dough, crimp edge, and fill with the apple filling. Roll out the second disk of dough for the top crust. Cut out large leaf shapes and place over the apples, each slightly overlapping the other, to form a top crust. Cut out one large apple shape, center on the top, and cut several slits to vent the pie. Bake until the juices bubble through the slits -- 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool for at least 4 hours before serving.