Salty sprang up and brushed past me. I watched as he bounded toward the farmhouse, racing with abandon, his long legs outstretched, ears flying back, nose in the air. I followed him across the green grass and into the field, the hay high and ready for reaping.
Blue Ribbon Apple Pie
Double Crust Pie Dough
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
6 (or more!) tablespoons ice water
Instructions
1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt, butter, and vegetable shortening until the mixture looks golden and resembles coarse cornmeal.
2. Pour the flour mixture into a large bowl. Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time, lightly fluffing the mixture with your fingers. Add ice water to the mixture until the dough just begins to come together. (I always mix the water by hand so I have more control.) If you are not sure, try squeezing a little of the dough together in your hand. If it clumps, you are done.
3. Gather the dough into a ball, divide it into two pieces, then flatten the pieces into discs. Wrap the discs in plastic and put them in the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour.
4. Roll out the two pieces of pie dough. There are two main tricks to rolling out pie dough: One is to not use too much flour—you can always add a bit more if the dough is sticking to the table, but you can’t take it away. The other is to never roll the dough out using a back-and-forth motion. Always work from the center and roll out. That will keep you from working the gluten too much. Use one dough disc to line a 9" deep-dish pie pan. Place the second rolled-out dough on a cookie sheet. Place both discs back in the refrigerator to rest.
Now onto the filling!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 pounds apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into ¼-inch thick wedges (I like to use a mixture of mostly Cortland and McIntosh apples, with 1 or 2 Granny Smith thrown in for tartness and texture)
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg white, for the crust bottom
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Make sure there is enough room for a tall pie—you may need to remove a rack.
2. Remove the dough discs from the refrigerator and set aside.
3. In a large skillet, melt the butter. When the butter is sizzling, toss in the apples and stir so they are coated in the butter. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. If you do not have a pan large enough, you can do this in two batches.
4. Remove the apples from the skillet (but not the liquid from the pan) and put them in a large bowl. Toss the apples in the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
5. Brush the inside of the bottom crust with the beaten egg white. Pile the sautéed apples into the crust, then cover with the remaining dough disc. Trim the crusts, then pinch them together. Using your thumbs and index fingers, crimp the crust edge into a pretty pattern. Slice air vents into the top crust. I like to leave my crusts plain, but you can brush the crust with an egg wash (if you like it shiny) or milk (if you like it brown and soft).
6. Turn the oven down to 375˚ F. Place the pie pan on a cookie sheet, and bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 50–60 minutes.
7. Let cool completely before serving.
Acknowledgments
With gratitude and great affection, I would like to thank the following people who made this book possible:
My super hero agent, Alexandra Machinist, who makes the whole process of selling a book and all that follows look effortless. I am so thankful to have her in my corner.
My editor, Pam Dorman, for her brilliant, insightful editing and steadfast support, and for saying keep in touch all those years ago. It was her early encouragement that kept me writing through all the messy revisions and days full of doubt. Never in my wildest daydreams did I imagine that Pam would actually wind up as my editor, and I couldn’t be more delighted or grateful that she did.
All the wonderful people at Viking Penguin, who did such a beautiful job ushering this book into the world, including Brian Tart, Andrea Schulz, Lindsay Prevette, Kate Stark, Carolyn Coleburn, Jeramie Orton, Seema Mahanian, Rebecca Lang, Mary Stone, Roseanne Serra, Hilary Roberts, Jeannette Williams, Tricia Conley, and the sales team at Penguin Random House.
My writing teachers, especially J. G. Hayes, who made it possible to begin, and Michelle Hoover, who saw me through to the end.
All the folks at GrubStreet writing center, who make an education in creative writing accessible to everyone.
The members of the Novel Incubator community, especially Susan Bernhard, Michele Ferrari, Kelly Ford, Lissa Franz, Mark Guerin, Cynthia Johnson, Anjali Mathur, Kelly Robertson, Emily Ross, Patricia Sollner, and Jennie Wood. Thank you so much for your tireless feedback and happy encouragement.
My partners in crime on The Debutante Ball: Jennifer S. Brown, Aya de Leon, Abby Fabiaschi, and Heather Young. Thank you for making this nerve-racking year so much fun.
Kate Racculia, mentor and friend, who gave me the greatest revision advice: bring on the dad. I can’t imagine what my debut year would have been like without all of your wonderful guidance and good cheer.
Chris O’Connor—incredible writer, astute reader, cofounder of VGAWP and sender of the world’s most inspiring (and profanity-laden) text messages—no one could ask for a smarter critique partner, a more enthusiastic champion, or a better friend.
My dear friend Andrea Raynor, who said I should be a writer when I told her I had just dropped out of art school.
Writing pals Margaret Zamos-Monteith and Catherine Elcik, for their friendship and unwavering confidence in this book.
The Albritton family—Bill, June, and Brit—for their love and support.
Bridget Collins for baking, Lorraine Lee Hammond for old-time banjo, and Corey Raynor for Vermont.
The chefs—Luc Robert, Charlie Binda, and Greg Everard—for answering all my savory cooking questions, giving me time off so I could attend workshops and meet deadlines, and the endless teasing.
My mom, Carol Rizzo, and my sisters Lisa Cataldo and Brenda Miller-Holmes, for believing that I could, and for being so excited when I did.
My dad, Douglas Miller, who loved good stories about regular people. Always loved and deeply missed.
And most of all, thanks and love to my Elizabeth Albritton—first reader, first editor, first everything.
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