I have been baking much-coveted apple pies "from scratch" for over 50 years. Those who taste them say they are the best they've ever eaten. I like my pie with apples that are neither mushy nor toothy. I also believe that, as Brandywine and Mortgage Lifter heirloom tomatoes have better flavor than modern cultivars, so do older varieties of apple have more flavor than Galas, Honey Crisps, and the like. I make my apple pies with equal parts Russets, Baldwins, and Winesaps. The Russets are for sweetness, the Winesaps for a winey tartness, and the Baldwins for deep classic apple flavor. You can't even imagine how delicious this combination is! I have tried many others, including all the kinds mentioned in this forum, but these are the best! I do make a shortbread apple pie that uses Golden Delicious, which are perfect for it, but that's another breed of cat entirely. At the end of apple season, I stock up on these three varieties for my winter pies, as they are all short-season varieties. Sometimes it's a search to find them, but definitely worth the trouble!

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