Apple Pie Perfection

I have never considered myself much of a cook, but after apple picking and making applesauce with my 1st grade class, I decided to dive right in to making all things apple. With a two year old, definitely going through his terrible twos, I gave myself a break and bought pie crust from Whole Foods. It made things a whole lot easier. The apples I used were straight off the tree at Swanton Pacific Ranch. I peeled and cut about 3 pounds of apples give or take. I used the green ones in the bag. I could not tell the variety because most of the apples were nothing I had
ever heard of before.

The pie crust need to thaw for an entire 3 hours. I took it out and allowed it to thaw while I was preparing the apple pie filling. 

I placed the 3 pounds of cut apple, 2/3 cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon,  and 1 cup sugar into my extra large frying pan. I might have added a bit more butter and sugar, but I think it can only make it taste that much better. I let the apples cook about 10 minutes until the juices were out and they seemed tender. Then, I took the apples out of the liquid and placed them into a glass tupperware container. I should have allowed them to drain more, but I do not have a colander. I kept the liquid on medium heat until it thickened up. Once it was thick, I poured the liquid over the apples and let it cool. 

Once the apple pie filling has cooled, it can be placed inside the pie crust. 

Lay the second pie crust across the top sealing the edges together. I just pressed the crusts together. Then I pressed the edges down with a fork and cut an X into the center for ventilation. What makes the crust spectacular is egg washing it and sprinkling sugar over the egg wash. 

Bake the pie for 45 minutes on 450. Make sure to watch. My pie only took 35 minutes. However, the ovens thermostat has been known to be off. 

Let the pie cool and serve with vanilla ice cream!

Apple Picking

Last weekend, Scott, Kendrick, and I went apple picking in Davenport at Swanton Pacific Ranch. It was a great way to spend time as a family while getting apples for Kendrick's lunch, which he is a fruit he is loving right now. The ranch had about six different types of apples, all organically grown and many that I had never heard of before. One kind was actually black and reminded me of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I knew they existed, but had never seen one. Kendrick loved going down each row of trees while up on Scott's shoulders, picking apples high up on the branches. He walked a bit too, picking apples low to the ground.  The trees were of all heights, allowing the whole family to have fun plucking apples. There was a family there having a picnic, which not all farms allow. I almost wish we would have done that, but we stopped at Santa Cruz Falafel instead, which was delicious. There is no one at the farm to weigh your apples and take payment. It is purely trust based. They have a little house where you weigh your apples, and it is 2 dollars a pound. We ended up with 11 pounds of apples! Apple pie here we come!