Classic Apple Pie with Screwdriver Crust

Here it is…the perfect “as-American-as,” best-in-its-class dessert. Years ago we posted our favorite apple pie filling (Pi Day 2015: 10 Digits of Pi) to celebrate the rarest Pi Day we’ll ever see. More recently we raved about our crisp, flaky, never-fail Screwdriver Pie Crust. And now here they are, joined in this lightly spiced, sweet-tart Classic Apple Pie. Two recipes for one great pie. Together at last. One-stop baking.

Do you love apple picking, but then wonder what you’ll do with that half-bushel? Make ready-to-use apple pie fillings. Peel and slice apples and toss them in a bowl with seasonings, just as you would for a fresh pie. (But hold off on the cornstarch, which you add at the last minute.) Fill zipper bags with one-pie portions and freeze. Defrost a bag overnight in the refrigerator, add cornstarch, and you’re ready to bake an orchard-fresh pie anytime.

Just make sure you’ve got some vodka and orange juice in the house. For the crust, of course.

Classic Apple Pie

Filling Ingredients

6 or 7 Cortland or other baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
⅔ cups sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch (Hold off on this if freezing apples. Mix it in after you defrost apples and before filling the pie.)
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon mace
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt

For Pie

Screwdriver Pie Crust for two-crust pie
2 tablespoons butter (for rubbing onto the bottom pie crust and for dabbing on after filling the pie)
Milk or cream for brushing onto the top crust
Sugar for sprinkling onto the top crust

1. Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl. Use immediately, or store in a food bag in the freezer for up to a year. For frozen filling, defrost in the refrigerator before use.

2. Roll out Screwdriver pastry dough and line a 9-inch pie pan. Rub bottom crust with butter or margarine. Pour in filling. Dab with butter before putting on the top crust.

3. Trim and crimp. Brush milk or cream on the top crust, avoiding crimped edges as they get dark anyway. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Cut slits or poke top with fork to release the steam.

4. Place pie on a cookie sheet on a rack in the top third of the oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 425°. Lower heat to 375° and bake about 40 minutes, or until pie is golden brown and bubbly inside. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Screwdriver Pie Crust

Two-Crust Pie

¼ cup cold orange juice
2 tablespoons vodka
2 cups flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup shortening (Crisco, which is transfat-free)

Mix orange juice and vodka in a cup or glass to make the Screwdriver. The ratio of orange juice to vodka is 2:1 in case you need extra.
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening until it looks like coarse meal (you can use your fingers).
Gradually drizzle the Screwdriver over the flour mixture as you stir it with a fork until it coheres into a soft ball of dough. You may have some Screwdriver leftover (but you’ll figure out what to do with that), or you may need just a little more to make the dough easy to handle. Break dough in half, and roll out accordingly.