Sarah's Apple Pie

Pie crust:

2 cups sifted unbleached or bleached flour

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup butter or margarine

4-6 tablespoons iced water

Combine flour sand salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with ice water, one tablespoon at a time. Blend lightly until mixture is able to formed into a ball. Chill in refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. Roll out half of dough into a circle and fit into a 9 inch pan. Prick bottom and sides. Sprinkle with a few breadcrumbs.

Filling

5 medium to large apples, sliced thinly and evenly (with or without peels)

1 cup (250 ml/8 oz) sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup (100 ml/3 oz) butter or margarine

Combine sliced apples, sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix carefully. Put mixture into pastry lined pan and dot top with butter.
You make leave the pie with one crust or if desired, roll out remaining pastry and place on filling and seal and flute edges. (If edge has trouble sticking together, put a little water on your fingers and this will seal it.) Cut vents in top crust.
Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes or until crust is golden. You do not need a glaze but if you like you can use glaze 1 or 2 from below.

Glaze 1

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 tablespoon milk, non-dairy milk or water

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup (75 ml/2 oz) confectioners sugar

Melt butter in small pan. Stir in milk and vanilla. Add sugar. Beat until thoroughly blended. Spread gently over fruit or hot crust. This will melt it.

Glaze 2

½ jar apricot, peach or orange jam

Melt jam in saucepan over low heat (or in microwave if you have) Brush with pastry brush over fruit or top crust.

Keep it Sugar Free: Use Stevia in place of sugar with fruit filling. In Glaze 1, use a sugar free confectioners sugar and in Glaze 2 sugar free jam.

Make it Vegan: Use dairy free margarine and a non-dairy milk, such as almond.

What about Gluten Free? Use gluten free flour for crust. Use potato starch for cornstarch in filling.