Apple Pie

I have gone in search of the best of many things in my life.  The best brownies.  The best chocolate chip cookies.  The best hamburger.  The best margarita.  I'll change recipes constantly, never quite satisfied with the results of the last one I tired.  I doubt my wife is complaining about the constant stream of chocolate chip cookies that fill our kitchen, but it does mean that whenever someone asks for a recipe, I have to ask, "Which one?"

Apple pie does not fall in this category.  I have not changed my recipe in my life, and I've been making pies for at least twenty years.  This is nothing short of a perfect apple pie.  And is there anything more perfect than an apple pie? 

October without apple pie would be like November without turkey.  December without hot chocolate.  Apple pie is the very essence of autumn: the crisp apples, picked just hours before; the spicy mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg; the comforting scent that fills your house while the pie is baking.  Every year, as I watch leaves fall to the ground and the Sox fall to their rivals, I begin to crave apple pie.  To enter November without having made at least one or two would be unnatural.

You can top  your pie with whipped cream or ice cream, but cheddar cheese will forever remain the correct topping.  And this recipe the correct recipe, yielding the apple pie you remember from your grandmother's kitchen.  I'll never change it, but I will continue to make it year after year.

Apple Pie
1 double crust
3 lbs cooking apples
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 T lemon juice
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/4 t salt
2 T butter

Make the dough and chill it for a few hours.

Meanwhile, peel, core, and slice apples.  Add sugars, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  Toss until well combined and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Place apples in a strainer over a bowl, and let juices strain into the bowl.  Let apples drain for about 30 minutes.

Pour juices into a small saucepan.  Add the butter, and place over high heat.  Boil, watching stirring and watching closely until the liquid has reduced to a syrup.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Take the dough out of the fridge.  Roll out one half into a 12 inch circle and transfer to a pie pan.  Press into the pan, and let the excess hang over the edge.

Fill the pan with the apple mixture, and pour the syrup over the top.  Roll out the top crust and place over the apples.  Crimp the edges, and cut any excess away.  Make steam holes in the top crust, decorating however you like.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes.  Cool for 3-4 hours before serving.