Gretchen’s Apple Pie

INGREDIENTS

Pastry:

• 3 cups flour
• 1¼ cups lard or shortening
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 5 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Filling:

• 5-6 cups peeled, cored and finely sliced or chopped apples
• Sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To prepare pastry, place flour, lard or shortening and salt in a bowl and, with the finger tips or a pastry blender, work the fat into the four. Mixture should resemble coarse oatmeal.
2. Mix the egg, water and vinegar together and, using a fork, stir into the fat-flour mixture. Wrap in wax paper and chill in the refrigerator. This quantity of pastry will mahe a two-crust 9-10 inch pie and another pie shell, or four 8-9 inch pie shells. The pastry will keep in the refrigerator for several days.
3. Preheat the over to 425 degrees
4. Roll out one-thirf of the pastry on a lightly floured board or pastry cloth to fit a 9-10 inch pie plate. put the pastry in the pie plate.
5. To prepare filling, combine the apples with 1½ cups sugar, the flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Dot the bottom of the crust with half the butter. Place the filling in the crust.
6. roll out another third of the pastry and top the pie. Seal and decorate the edges and make a steam hole. Dot the crust with the remaining butter and sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake 40-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and done.