Apple Pies

Fall is officially here and that means apples.  My sister generously gave me a couple of bushels of apples, so I made pies and pies and pies.  Yesterday I made an even dozen pies, 11 for the freezer and one for B to eat.  He doesn't like cinnamon, so the one I made for him had no cinnamon, just nutmeg.  So I have a years supply of pies standing ready in the freezer.

I had seen a recipe at KAF for "Old Fashioned Slab Apple Pie" and it sounded like a good recipe to make to take to work.  I looked at several on line and decided to use my own.  Basically, I used my regular pie crust recipe (5 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 1/2 cups shortening cut into the dry ingredients; 1 egg, 1 tsp vinegar mixed together in a one cup measure, then filled to the top with water).  I used about one third for the bottom and one third for the top crust.  If crust is one of the things you like most about pies, you'd like this slab pie.  It's like an upscale giant poptart - only it tastes really good!\

Filling:

8 cups thinly sliced apples
1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Mix dry ingredients, then gently stir in the sliced apples and sprinkle with the vinegar.  Microwave for 10 minutes, stopping and stirring occasionally, until the juice of the apples starts to thicken and the apples are slightly cooked, but still firm.

Roll the dough into a rectangle to fit a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan, gently place the dough into the pan having the dough go up the sides.  Place the filling into the dough lined pan, smoothing down the filling.  Roll the rest of the dough into a rectangle to fit the pan.  (sit the pan on the dough & use a knife to cut around the shape of the pan) Place the top on the filling, then fold the sides down from the bottom layer.  Poke holes for steam release then put in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour or until the crust is browned. 

Glaze:

1/4 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt

Boil at a medium heat until the sugar dissolves and you have a syrup consistency.  Add 2 tablespoons butter. Add the syrup mixture to the powder sugar.  Beat until smooth, add apple juice, maple syrup, cream or water to thin the mixture if necessary.  Drizzle over the cooled slab.