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Apple Pie

Call it À la mode if you top your pie with ice cream. Call it paradise when you have good tart apples.

One 9-inch double-crust pie

In this recipe, the filling is precooked, eliminating any gap between it and the top crust when baked and producing a beautifully full, compact pie that slices like a charm.

Prepare:

1 recipe Basic Pie or Pastry Dough, below

Line a 9-inch pie pan with half the dough. Peel, core, and slice a little thicker than 1Ú4 inch:

3 pounds apples (6 to 8 medium-large)

Heat in a very wide skillet or pot over high heat until sizzling and fragrant:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Add the apples and toss until glazed with butter. Reduce the heat to medium, cover tightly, and cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are softened on the outside but

still slightly crunchy, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in:

3Ú 4 cup sugar

1Ú 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1Ú 8 teaspoon salt

Increase the heat to high and cook the apples at a rapid boil until the juices become thick and syrupy, about 3 minutes. Immediately spread the apples in a thin layer on a baking sheet, and let them cool to room temperature. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the apple mixture into the bottom crust. Cover with a pricked or vented top crust or a lattice. Bake until the crust is richly browned and the filling has begun to bubble, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack, 3 to 4 hours.

If you wish to serve the pie warm, place it in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes. The pie is best if eaten promptly, but it can be kept at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

Basic Pie Or Pastry Dough

One 9- or 10-inch double crust

Sift together:

21Ú 2 cups all-purpose flour

11Ú 4 teaspoons salt

Add:

3Ú 4 cup chilled lard or vegetable shortening

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Cut half of the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or work it in lightly with the tips of your fingers until it has the consistency of cornmeal. Cut the remaining half into the dough until it is pea-sized.

Sprinkle the dough with:

6 tablespoons ice water

Blend the water gently into the dough until it just holds together; you may lift the ingredients with a fork, allowing the moisture to spread.

If necessary to hold the ingredients together, add:

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon ice water

Divide the dough in half, shape each into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap.