Stan's Apple & Cherry Pie

Stan's Apple Pie

Crust

2-1/2 Cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 sticks of chilled butter (cut into ½ inch pieces

3 Tbs sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup chilled vegetable shortening (Crisco)

1 large egg

3 tablespoons ice water

Blend flour, sugar and salt in bowl/mixer for ten seconds.  Then add butter followed by the butter while mixing.  Beat one egg and with the ice water and add to bowl and continue mixing until a dough ball forms.  Stop mixing and remove dough ball and split in half.  Form two discs wrap and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.

 

Apple Pie Filling

20 medium apples cored and sliced (about 10 pounds)

4-1/2 Tbs flour

1-1/2 Cups Sugar

¾ tsp cinnamon

4-1/2 Tbs milk

3 Tablespoons Butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix flour, sugar, and cinnamon and then coat apples pieces.  Place mixture into an unbaked pie crust formed into a deep dish pie plate.  The apples should form a very large mound.  Dab with the butter and pour the milk over the apple mixture.  Place a large piece of pie dough over the top of the pie and poke with fork on the top to allow air to escape.  Cover the whole pie with foil and bake for one hour and 15 minutes.  Then remove foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.  Note – place foil or large cookie sheet below the pan to collect juices from the pie that may drip out while baking.  Otherwise it will burn on the bottom of the oven.  After pie removed from oven cover with foil and allow at least 1-2 hours to cool prior to eating.

 

Stan’s Cherry Pie

Pie Crust – same as apple pie

Filling

1-1/2 Cups sugar divided in ½

5 Tbs cornstarch

3 cans of bing cherries pitted and packed in water.  Drain and save ½ cups of liquid

1 Tbs butter

½ teaspoon of almond extract

Topping

2 Tbs milk

2 Tbs sugar

¼ cup toasted sliced almonds

In medium sauce pan combine ¾ cup of sugar and the cornstarch.  Stir in cherry liquid and bring to boil stirring constantly with whisk.    Cook for 1 – 2 minutes and then whisk in the butter, almond extract and remaining sugar.  After all sugar melted and blended smoothly, remove from heat.  Then fold in the cherries.

In a small saucepan, combine milk, sugar and almonds for the topping and bring to bowl while stirring and cook for approximately 3 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place mixture into an unbaked pie crust formed into a deep dish pie plate.  Create a lattice (½-inch pieces) of crust over the over the top of the pie by weaving the pieces.  Brush the almond sugar topping over the pie crust.  Cover the whole pie with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Then remove foil and bake for an additional 15-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.  Note – place foil or large cookie sheet below the pan to collect juices from the pie that may drip out while baking.  Otherwise it will burn on the bottom of the oven.  After pie removed from oven cover with foil and allow at least 1-2 hours to cool prior to eating.