What happened to the Granny Smith apple?  I remember growing up my grandmother always told me that Granny Smith apples were for baking.  I made lots of crisps and pies with Granny Smith apples – before I discovered that using a variety of apples was actually better.  About 10 years ago I found this recipe for a lattice-top apple pie in Bon Appetit (which I adapted below) – and it called for Golden Delicious apples.  I was surprised – I had never cooked with those.  Living in the Pacific Northwest – we never have a shortage of apple varieties.  I went to the store, picked up some Golden Delicious apples, and proceeded to make the best apple pie I have ever tasted.  I still use a variety of apples when making a crisp – but when I make this pie (which I now do every Thanksgiving – even when I was 9 months pregnant and as big as a house) I only use Golden Delicious apples, the way the recipe calls for. 

Now for some commentary on the picture…I was taking pictures of the pie when my older daughter walked in with my niece.  They thought I should get an apple to put next to the pie – and then take a picture to show what the pie was made out of.  They asked what kind of apple I used so they could get the same variety – but I had used up all the Golden Delicious apples.  They grabbed another one and said that no one would notice.  So, for any of you that are apple experts – I know, that is not a Golden Delicious apple – but yes, I used them in the pie…

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, diced
• 6 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

• Milk
• Additional sugar

Preparation

For crust:
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water one at a time and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball; divide into 2 pieces. Flatten each into disk. Wrap each in plastic; chill 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.)

For filling:
Position rack in lowest third of oven and pre-heat to 400°F. Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add apples and toss to blend.

Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold edge under, forming high-standing rim; crimp. Add filling. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 13-inch round. Cut into twelve 1-inch-wide strips. Arrange 6 strips across pie. Form lattice by arranging 6 strips diagonally across first strips. Gently press ends into crust edges. Brush lattice with milk. Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar. Bake pie 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Continue baking until juices bubble thickly and crust is deep golden, covering edges with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool on rack 1 hour. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand on rack.)

For a printer-friendly recipe, click here: Apple Pie