Apple Pie

Based on Alton Brown's recipe. Actually it's pretty much exactly it, just cataloged here for our use.

Ingredients

• For the crust
  
  
  
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into approximate tablespoons
    
  • 2.75c white flour
    
  • 1tsp salt
    
  • 1tbsp white sugar
    
  • cold water
    
  
  
• The pie filling
  
  
  
  • 1/2c sugar
    
  • 3tbsp corn starch
    
  • 2tbsp apple jelly
    
  • 2tsp lemon juice
    
  • 1/4tsp salt
    
  • 1/4tsp ground grains of paradise
    
  • 5 apples (2 granny smith, 3 pacific rose), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/2" thick
    
  • 1 peach, sliced up 1/2" thick
    
  
  

In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients for the crust except the water. Give it a few good pulses. Then add water, two tablespoons at a time, and pulse a few times until the dough sticks together when you pinch it (it won't really stick together on its own, though). Form the dough into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Now, peel and core the apples and slice into 1/2" thick slices. Toss together with 1/2c sugar and leave them in a colander for 1.5 hours. Preheat the oven to 450. Take the apples out (setting aside the liquid) and toss them (and the peach slices) with the jelly, the remaining sugar, the lemon juice, salt, grains of paradise, and the corn starch.

Take out one disc of tough and roll it out into a 12" circle. Place it in a pie tin and make sure it's neat around the edges and reaches the bottom of the pan. Place all the apples in concentric circles, piling them a little extra high in the center of the pie. Roll out the second disc and place it over all of the apples. Pinch the dough to the crust so that it won't come up, and then cut a 3" X in the top of the crust. Brush the crust with the remaining liquid from the apples (cooked down to 2tbsp?). Place the pie in the oven on the lowest rack for about 45-50 minutes.

Thoughts: Best. Pie. Ever. Next time we're going to try using more peaches, using some peach-vanilla jam, and upping the grains of paradise a little. Best served with some aged cheddar melted on top. Trust me.

Disaster Index: 1/10