The Apple of My Pie

Continuing to use the plethora of apples I have, I made apple pie.  This is probably one of the first recipes I ever made "from scratch".  Well the filling at least.  I am still intimidated by making the crust myself, so I bought one. 

The recipe I use was adapted from Paula Dean:

I like to use a mix of different kinds of apples, since it adds to the texture and taste.  I also like Paula's recipe, because it focuses on the Apples.  When you buy a pie at the store, there is so much "juice" with the apples, sometimes that gunky stuff overpowers the apples.  When you mix up this recipe, it makes a nice juice on its own, and when you add the flour, it helps to bind the apples a little, but its still 90% apple.  The lemon helps the apples from browning, and gives it a nice bright flavor. 

Normally, I make a lattice top, which gives it an impressive look, that's really not that hard. 

After seeing a pie on another site that used cut out stars for the crust, I wanted to try it, but since apple pie says fall to me, I used mini leave cookie cutters and layered those on top, overlapping a little.

 

It took a little more time, since I had to re-roll out the scarps to have enough to cover the pie, but I was very please with it, and it looks so pretty.  

I do think it would be prettier with a darker filling, maybe for a blueberry or Cherry pie.  The color of the apples and the crust make it a little blending.