What could be more American than Mom's Apple Pie?
(Double Crust Apple Pie)
Crust:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
5-7 tablespoons COLD water
Mix shortening, salt, and flour with a fork until mixture is crumbly. Add 5 tablespoons water and mix well, adding more water if too dry.
Apple Filling:
6-8 tart apples (Macintosh, Granny Smith) -- Pare, core, and thinly slice
3/4 - 1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pie spice
2 tablespoons butter (or margarine)
Slice apples. Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add apple slices and mix well.
Putting the Pie together:
Take 1/2 of the pastry and roll flat with rolling pin on floured surface or pastry board. Line a 9" or 10" pie pan with the rolled pastry. Fill pastry shell with apple mixture. Dot with butter or margarine. Take the remaining pastry dough and roll flat. Place dough on top of apple pie mixture. Crimp top and bottom crusts together along edges creating a scalloped edging or use a fork all around the edges for a different look. Cut off excess dough with paring knife. Use the paring knife to cut slits into top crust for steam to escape. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 50 minutes or until crust is brown. Cool and serve, maybe with cold vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top!
What could possibly be more American (other than maybe baseball)?