Ingredients:

for the crust:

3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
5 tbsp. cold water
1 tbsp. white vinegar

for the filling:

6 to 8 apples (Granny Smith or Braeburns, or a combination of the two, work well)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preparation:

Sift the flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Using two knives, or a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the ingredients are well-blended. The mixture should look a little dry, but hold together nicely when pressed with a finger.

Next, in a small bowl, mix together the beaten egg white, the water, and the vinegar. Add this to the larger mixing bowl and blend together with a fork. Divide into two balls and roll each ball flat on a lightly floured surface.

Core and peel the apples, and then cut them into eigths. Put the slices into a large bowl and gradually stir in sugar and cinnamon. You can make this filling as sweet or as tart as you like, although I feel that apple pie is best when the filling is sweet, but still makes you pucker a little bit.

Coat the bottom and sides of a glass pie pan (I’ve always known these as patty-pans) with a little butter or shortening, and then set the first crust into it. Press down a little bit, so it conforms to the shape of the pan, but not too hard as you don’t want it to stick to the glass. Then fill the pie pan to heaping with the apple mixture. Dot a little butter on top of the apples, and cover with the second crust. Trim away any excess and press down around the edges to seal the two crusts together. Slice two or three vents in the top crust and then bake at 450 for about 20 minutes. After that, reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 25 minutes.

(Feeds six.)