APPLE PIE

Ingredients

6 Large Tart Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (2½ pounds)
2/3 to 1 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of the fruit
1/4 cup flour or 2 tablespoons of Cornstarch
2 teaspoons lemon juice, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and nutmeg, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 Tablespoons lightly salted butter or margarine (melted)
3½ cups Flaky Pie Crust Mix
6 to 8 Tablespoons ice water
1 egg yolk mixed with a little water or 1 Tablespoon milk for glaze (optional)

Step One
In a Large bowl, gently toss the apples with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, lemon rind, cinnamon, and butter. Set aside.

Step Two
In a medium-size bowl, combine the Flaky Pie Crust Mix and 6 Tablespoons of water with a fork, adding more water if the mixture is crumbly. Cover with a plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

TIP
At this point the filling can be stored. Line a 9-inch pie pan with a plastic wrap, add the filling, mounding it, and freeze for 3 to 4 hours or until solid. Remove the filling and lining from the pan, wrap in additional plastic wrap and heavy-duty aluminum foil, and label. Freeze for up to 4 months at 0ºF.

Step 3
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a little more than half the dough to a circle 1/8 inch thick and 12 inches across. Fit into a 9-inch pie pan, trim the excess. Spoon the filling into the shell.
Step 4
Roll out the remaining dough to form a circle about 1 inch larger than the pan fit over the top of the pie, crimp and trim the edges and decoratively, and prick all over the allow steam to escape. Brush with the glaze, if desired.
Step 5
Set on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 350ºF and bake another 35 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden. Cool the pie to lukewarm before cutting. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired
TIP
If prepared in advance: preheat oven to 450ºF. Unwrap the frozen filling and carefully set it in the pie shell prepared, as in Step 2 and 3, Top as in Step 4.

Bake on a baking sheet in the lower third of the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375ºF. Transfer the pie to the center of the oven, and bake for 1 to 1¼ Hours more or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly.