The question:
Dear Chef Mom: I'm trying to make an apple pie and I have never done it before. Could you help me out please?

Chef Mom says:
An apple pie is a great place to start your pie-making experience! Not only are they delicious, they're extrememly versatile. In addition to the many different kinds of apples out there, apples combine perfectly with other fruits and toppings. Some of our favorite apple-based pies include French Apple Pie, Apple Cream Pie, Cranberry Apple Pie, Pecan Apple Pie, Sour Cream Apple Pie and Spiced Apple Pie. Yum!

As for making your pie, we talked to a real mom chef, Brenda Hyde from Seeds of Knowledge. She said, "I would suggest that you use premade crust, first of all. You can buy squares of it and then unfold it and press it into your pie plate. This is the most intimidating part of pie making and this way you can work on fillings first then crust later." She also offered this great recipe to try:

Mom's Apple Pie
Ingredients:
1 premade pie crust
1 egg white, beaten
5 1/2 cups fresh, peeled, sliced cooking apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each nutmeg and salt

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar and packed brown sugar
1/3 cup margarine

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place crust in pie plate and gently push into place. Cut extra off and then use fingers to press the crust evenly along the top edge of the pie plate. Brush crust with egg white. Bake on cookie sheet until light brown; about 5 minutes. Remove from oven. In bowl, combine apples, lemon,sugars, flour, spices and salt. Mix well; spoon into crust. Combine topping ingredients until crumbly and place evenly on pie top. Bake on sheet for 50 minutes or until filling is bubbling. Serves 8.

Good luck and have fun!

Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats (A 30-Minute Meal Cookbook)

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