Autumn Harvest Apple Pie

Pastry

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 6-7 tablespoons ice water

Place flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to mix. Add cold butter and pulse until butter is pea-size. Add 5 tablespoons ice water and process at low speed until it forms a meal. Add 1 more tablespoon of ice water and process just until the pastry starts to come together. Check the pastry for moisture and add a little more ice water if it feels dry. Process until the pastry forms a ball.

Remove it from the food processor, divide it in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Apple Filling

• 6-7 large Cosmic Crisp apples, rinsed, cored, peeled, and sliced
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons sparkling or granulated sugar, for garnish

Place sliced apples in a large bowl, sprinkle them with lemon juice, and toss gently to mix. In a small bowl, stir together sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour the sugar mixture over the apples and toss to coat the apples.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the bottom pastry on a floured pastry cloth or counter, fold it in half, and transfer it to a 10-inch pie plate. Unfold the pastry and adjust it to fit the bottom of the pie plate. Pour the apples into the pie shell, spoon extra juices over the apples.

Roll out the top crust, fold it in half to lift, and unfold it over the apples. Trim the pastry and crimp to seal the edges. Cut several slits in the top crust so steam can escape during baking.

In a small bowl, whisk egg and water together with a fork to form an egg wash. Brush this over the pastry and sprinkle with sparkling or granulated sugar. Bake 45-55 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cover leftover pie and refrigerate.

Yield: One 10-inch double-crust pie