Apple Pie

For crust, see The Art of Making Pie Crust

Peel, core and thinly slice enough tart pie apples to generously fill another pie plate the same size as the one you plan to use to bake in. Most recipes say 4 cups for a 9 inch pie. Jonathans, Cortlands, Macintosh, Winesaps all make good pies. NEVER try to bake using Red Delicious, they do not get soft & you will have cork stopper pie. Yellow Delicious are good for baking but do not soften & mush up - some people prefer them because they keep their shape. #1 cooking apple in France, for example. I like the ones that melt in their own juices. Toss the sliced apples with 3/4 to 1 cup sugar (depending on how tart the apples are and how overflowing the pie plate) and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. You may add up to 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, if you like. Some people add a tablespoon of flour to slightly thicken the juice as it cooks. Toss to evenly coat the slices of apple with the sugar mixture & turn into the pie plate, lined with the first pie crust. Gently arrange the apples so that they lie flat & cuddled densely close to each other. Dot with butter (about 1 tablespoonful) and cover with the second crust.