articlesforchristians

Ingredients
For the Crust:

• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup shortening
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cold milk (approximately)

For the Filling

• 3 lbs, minimum 8 cups of apples (Golden Delicious or Jonagold), peeled, cored, and sliced
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

For the PECAN CRUMB TOPPING

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped pecan halves
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly cold

Directions
For the crust:

1. Cut shortening into the flour and salt until it resembles coarse crumbs about the size of a pea.
2. Add in cold milk a little at a time. When it starts to ball up and you have no dry ingredients visible, then your crust is ready to roll out on a floured non-stick silicone mat (or floured surface).
3. Put your bottom crust into a 9-inch pie dish, then trim and flute the edges of your crust.

For the filling:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix together apples, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
2. Set aside for about 5 minutes to juice.
3. Mix the granulated sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl.
4. Once mixed, combine with the apples and mix together.
5. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla to the apples and mix well.
6. Fill the chilled crust with apple mixture, mounding the apples in pie dish as high as you can. Pat down the fruit and smooth down the apples so none are sticking up.
7. Place the pie on the center rack and bake for 30 minutes.

For the topping:

1. While pie is baking, make the crumb topping by combining flour, chopped pecans, granulated sugar, and salt.
2. Cut in butter.
3. Once mixture is coarse, knead together with hands so butter is well blended and looks gravelly.
4. Keep in refrigerator until the pie comes out of the oven.

Finishing the pie:

1. After 30 minutes of baking, remove pie from oven, lower temperature to 350°K
2. Carefully pile the refrigerated pecan topping on top and in the center of pie.
3. Spread crumb topping over entire pie evenly to edge of crust.
4. Tap down the crumb topping. and then return the pie to the oven for an additional 45 to 50 minutes. Note: Juices will bubble thickly around the edge of pie toward the end of baking time. Place a baking sheet or tin foil sheet under the pie in oven to catch any juices. You can use a pie shield or tin foil if your pie is getting too dark.
5. Remove pie from oven and cool for approximately 45 to 60 minutes on a wire rack.