Aunt Kay’s 1975 Home Ec. Apple Pie
Overview
Something that’s been made for us since we were kids is always so warm and nostalgic for our souls. My Aunt Mary Kay was born and raised in the same neighborhood where my cousin Alicia now lives in Tacoma, Washington. Stadium High is where she and my cousin went to school and is still down the street where it’s been since its opening in 1906. If you’ve ever seen “10 Things I Hate About You” then you’re familiar with the beautiful castle-like structure. When my Aunt Kay was a student there back in the 1970’s she took a Home Ec class where she learned how to make an Apple Pie. This is the same pie recipe that she’s used for the last 5 decades. This is a pie recipe that I remember from childhood and always reminds me of home. Aunt Kay and I are excited to share her classic recipe with you.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
Pie Crust
4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups shortening
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon of milk for rubbing on crust
Pie Filling
5 Cups of apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
1
Heat your oven to 400° and start your pie crust. With a pastry cutter or fork blend flour, shortening, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix vinegar, egg, and water. Mix with the dry ingredients and create your dough. Once mixed separate into 2 equal parts and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Start peeling, coring, and cutting your apples into small thin slices. You could also get a helper or two with this process. Aunt Kay and my little nephew Julian and I.
2
Put sliced apples in a bowl and toss with lemon juice. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Combine and toss with apples. Set aside.
3
Roll out one portion of your dough and into a circle a little bigger than your pie dish. Set in the dish and cut off the excess dough so it hangs slightly off the edge of the pie dish. Save the excess dough on a baking sheet for a little pie crust cookie treat.
4
Arrange apples in unbaked pastry and dot with the 2 tablespoons of butter.
5
Roll out your second part of dough the same way as the first. Before placing the dough on top lightly moisten the entire edge of the bottom layer of crust with a few rubs of milk. Place dough on top and cut off excess dough and leave a little extra the same as the last. Put your excess pieces on the cookie sheet.
6
With the excess dough, you can make pie crust cookies! All you do is just sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on each piece of dough and throw it into the oven for about 10-15 minutes. When we were kids this was always a treat for us and some of us adults still love these too.
7
Tuck your top layer of dough underneath your bottom layer of dough so it’s plump. Next, take two fingers on one hand and your index on your other hand and “Flute” the edge of the crust.
8
Cut slits into the top of the crust. We did an A, an apple, and a leaf.
9
Do a milk rub on the top and edge of your pie crust. Once it’s wet sprinkle sugar on the top of the crust. Bake for 50 minutes.
10
While the pie was baking we got to eat pie crust cookies and visit. Meet Aunt Kay.
11
Enjoy!
