Nana Tierney’s Blue-Ribbon Apple Pie

Cathy Tierney of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, won a blue ribbon with this pie. Her two tricks: simmer the apples for a few minutes first, and scatter graham cracker crumbs under the filling so the bottom crust never goes soggy. McIntosh apples are her pick, so grab a bag at the market when they come in.

Ingredients

For the crust

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1¾ cups cold butter, cut into pieces
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• Milk, as needed

For the filling

• 8 to 10 apples, McIntosh preferred
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ⅓ to 1½ cups sugar, to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• A few drops of water
• A few graham crackers
• Freshly grated lemon zest
• 1½ tablespoons tapioca powder or flour
• 2 to 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg white, for brushing
• Sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Make the crust: whisk the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender until it looks like coarse crumbs.
2. Beat the egg in a liquid measuring cup, stir in the vinegar, then top it up with milk to the ⅔-cup line. Stir the liquid into the flour mixture and press the dough into a ball. Wrap and chill for 20 minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 350°F. Peel, core and slice the apples into a saucepan. Add the lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and a few drops of water. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the apples just soften. Set aside to cool.
4. Cut the dough into three equal pieces. Save one for another day (3 days in the fridge, or freeze it). Roll the other two between sheets of floured wax paper until each is about 12 inches across.
5. Fit one crust into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Crumble graham crackers over the bottom, then spoon in the apples. Grate a little lemon zest over the top, sprinkle with the tapioca or flour, and dot with pats of butter.
6. Lay the second crust on top and pinch the edges to seal. Brush with beaten egg white, sprinkle with sugar and cut two or three slits for steam.
7. Bake for 50 minutes, until golden.

Tip

An apple peeler-corer makes fast work of eight or nine apples.

Adapted from Cathy Tierney’s recipe, as shared by USA Today.