My pies are famous in my circle of friends and acquaintances. Apple pie is the go-to for me because it is the easiest to make quickly. My secret: I buy the "biggest" apples so I don't have to peel a lot of them. I put a lot of apples in my pies, sometimes as many as 12 or more for a large pie. (I save the aluminum pie plates that come with Costco's Pumpkin Pie.) The neater the layers, the more apples I can fit, so I often arrange the apples individually. I never use Red Delicious, but I am open to all others. Golden Delicious, Empire, Cortland, Gala --- I use a few of each. When I include Granny Smith, I only use two or three. They are not a favorite of mine. The final and my most important secret is to always include a few (the number depends on the size of the pie - 3-4 for a 10 inch pie) Macintosh for my favorite flavor. I spread the slices separately on the top of the other apples already in the crust and sometimes I arrange a few slices in the middle of the pile. I also use a lot of cinnamon, really, a lot! When my apples are all peeled and in a large bowl, I cover the top of the apples with a brown coating of cinnamon before mixing, along with sugar and lemon juice. I am pretty generous with the butter pieces I lay on the top of the apples, too!. I have also learned that apples can be peeled the day before and put in a glass bowl (mine always fill the bowl), covered with plastic wrap and used the next day; they do not discolor if they are not exposed to the air. this gets the messy work of peeling and slicing out of the way. I mix in the spices the when I am ready to put the pie together.

• Reply