Amelia Bedelia's Apple Pie

Each month, A and I head to her large bookshelves in her playroom in search of seasonal books to keep by her bedside, books to celebrate seasons, holidays, or special times in our lives. At the start of September, we shelved her summer books in favor of back to school and autumnal adventures. One of our new favorites has become Amelia Bedelia's First Apple Pie, one of the new Amelia Bedelia books that tells the tales of the beloved Amelia Bedelia as a little girl. In the back of the book, the authors share the recipe from the book. A finally decided, after reading it for the umpteenth time this week, that we should make that very pie. And then, she declared, we should make three more pies, one for each Sunday left in September. We made it, we ate it, we loved it. Look for pie number two next week! And YOU be the judge - which one is best?

You need:

For the crust -

2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. suagr
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 sticks of cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 c. cold water
1 tbsp. white vinegar

Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl. Add the butter and cut into the flour thoroughly until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, using two blunt dinner knives, a pastry blender, or a food processor. Sprinkle the mixture with the water and vinegar. Mix this until the dough comes together and clears the side of the bowl. Gather the dough and shape into two flat, circular disks; wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

MEANWHILE....

For the filling -

8 c. peeled and thinly sliced apples (we, like Amelia and her grandmother, used Granny Smiths)
1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 lemon

Combine and mix the first five ingredients in a bowl. After the hour has passed, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for five minutes. Then, on a lightly floured board, roll each disk into a circle of about 10 inches in diameter. Turn one into a 9-in pie pan. Fill with the filling. Dot with the butter and squeeze the juice of the 1/2 lemon over the top. Top the pie with the other circle of dough. Pinch the crust together. Cut 4-6 vent holes in the top. Bake in the center of the over for 1 hour. Cool completely before serving.

inspired from Amelia Bedelia's First Apple Pie by Herman Parish