UJ's Apple Pie Recipe

This week, when I discovered MacIntosh apples in the local market...I knew that apple pie baking time had finally arrived.  For me...nothing is better in a pie than a MacIntosh apple...or for eating too.  Every time I use them I have fond memories crossing my mind of being a kid at my parent's house in Northern Wisconsin...in the fall..and the local farmers selling their MacIntosh apples by the bushel.

Here is my recipe for apple pie using MacIntonsh apples:

Your favorite pastry dough for a 9-inch two-crust pie
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 to 2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon brandy
6 large, firm, MacIntosh apples (or your favorite pie apple)
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 425 (F).  Line a 9-inch pie pan with half the pasty dough.  Mix the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg,and flour in a large bowl.  Peel, core, and slice the apples and toss them in the sugar mixture, add the tablespoon brandy, and make sure you coat them well.   Pile them into the lined pan and dot with the butter.  Roll out the top crust and drape it over the pie.  Crimp the edges and cut several vents in the top (and at this point you can add a sugar/cinnamon mixture to the top of the crust if desired).  Bake 10 minutes at 425 (F), then reduce heat to 350 (F) and bake 35 - 40 minutes more or until the apples are tender when pierced with a skewer and the crust is browned.

Enjoy...