Old Fashioned Apple Pie

What is there to say about this dessert that hasn't already been said?

It's comforting.  It's buttery, flaky, spicy, sweet, tart, delicious.  It's America.

But let's be real.  If you went the whole holiday season without a bite of apple pie, there would be a hole in your heart...in your soul.  Am I right?  I know that's true for me...but I have a strange and complicated relationship with food.

Old Fashioned Apple Pie
(adapted from allrecipes)

2 unbaked pie shells (here's my recipe)
6-8 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp lemon juice


Topping:

1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg


Preheat the oven to 425.

Pour lemon juice and 1 Tbsp cinnamon over the apples and stir to coat.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and then stir in the flour, whisking until smooth.  Add the water, white, and brown sugar, stirring until smooth and cooking over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil.  Reduce temperature to low and allow to simmer.

Arrange one crust in the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan.  Pour in apples, distributing evenly.  Next, pour in the sugar mixture over the apples evenly.  Cover with the second pie crust, crimping edges.

Brush the top of the pie with the egg.  Mix the rest of the topping ingredients (2 Tbsp granulated sugar, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg) and sprinkle over the top of the pie.  Cut a few slits in the top crust for ventilation.

Place on the center rack of your preheated oven.  Bake 15 minutes at 425.  Reduce heat to 350 and continue baking about 35-45 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack about 3 hours before serving.