Fruit Desserts — The Apple Pie That Finally Came Out Right

September and the shift is undeniable. The light comes in at a lower angle now, golden in the afternoons in a way that makes everything look deliberate. The trees haven't turned yet but they're thinking about it — here and there a maple showing the first suggestion of red, the first admission. I love this month. Helen did too. We used to say September was the best-kept secret in Vermont, the month the tourists miss.

Teddy turned thirteen this week. Thirteen. I've been his grandfather since he was born and I still find the arithmetic remarkable — that a person can go from being someone you hold in both arms to someone who is taller than his mother in what seems like a continuous present moment. I mailed him a gift: a proper chef's knife, eight-inch, the kind a cook actually uses. Sarah called to say he was enormously pleased. Of course he was. He's been cooking.

Made the first apple pie of fall — from the old Macintosh tree at the south end of the property that produces more than I ever know what to do with. The apples are small and tart and slightly ugly-looking and they make the best pie I know of, better than anything you'd buy. Helen's pie crust recipe, which I've been practicing, twice this year. The crust came out right this time. I could feel the difference when I was working the butter in — there's a point where it goes from too warm to exactly right, where the dough cooperates instead of fighting you.

The Saturday cooking lessons continue. Teddy's thirteenth birthday request was that we make his birthday cake together over video call. We made a chocolate layer cake from scratch, frosting and all. He assembled it at his house. It was lopsided and looked, he said, like it was trying to escape. His family sang to him over it and then ate the whole thing.

When the crust came out right this year — truly right, the way I could feel it before I even rolled it — I knew this was the pie worth writing down. I’ve been circling Helen’s recipe for a long time, and something about making it the same week Teddy turned thirteen made it feel like it mattered in two directions at once. This is the apple pie I made that afternoon, from the small tart Macintoshes off the south-end tree, with a crust that finally cooperated. It’s not complicated — it just takes patience and cold butter.

Fruit Desserts: Homestyle Macintosh Apple Pie

Prep Time: 40 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 35 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• For the crust:
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6–8 tablespoons ice water
• For the filling:
• 3 lbs Macintosh apples (about 7–8 medium), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• 1 tablespoon coarse sugar (for topping)

Instructions

1. Make the crust. Whisk flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and work them in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining — don’t overwork it. Drizzle in ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork until the dough just holds together when pressed. Divide in two, shape into discs, wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the filling. Combine sliced apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Toss until the apples are evenly coated. Let rest 10 minutes.
3. Preheat and roll. Preheat oven to 425°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll one dough disc into a 12-inch circle. Fit it into a 9-inch pie plate, letting the edges hang over. Roll the second disc for the top crust.
4. Fill the pie. Pile the apple filling into the crust, mounding it slightly in the center. Dot with the small butter pieces. Lay the top crust over the filling, trim to a 1-inch overhang, fold the edges under, and crimp to seal. Cut 4–5 slits in the top to vent steam.
5. Egg wash and bake. Brush the top crust with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Place the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 375°F and bake another 35–40 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling through the vents.
6. Cool before slicing. Transfer to a wire rack and cool at least 2 hours before cutting. Macintosh apples release a lot of juice — the rest time lets the filling set up properly.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 430 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 57g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 290mg