Grandma Lippert's Apple Pie

I can make a damn good apple pie. It's in my DNA.  I don't remember the first time my Mom taught me how to roll out dough, or put me on an apple peeling assembly line, but I know I was young. I have memories of weaving lattice dough tops that must be pre elementary school.

This recipe is my Grandmother's.  It's made an appearance at every Christmas and Thanksgiving in my lifetime, and I imagine my Mother's lifetime as well. My oldest brother requests it instead of cake on his birthday. He's 42 now, and my Mom drives four hours to deliver his birthday pie every year. Sometimes, when she's low on time, he'll drive half way and she'll hurriedly hand over the pie at a rest stop. My sister served it instead of cake at her wedding. As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that maybe my family just doesn't like cake? 

Anyway, I made the apple pie last night to take to an Easter/Opening Day/It's Finally Kinda Warm Outside BBQ.  The recipe, with several small adjustments from Grandma Lippert's original, follows. 

Crust

• 2 1⁄4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter shaved on cheese grater
• 1⁄4 cup + 2 tbs. Crisco vegetable shortening
•  1/3 cup ice water

Sift flour and salt together. Cut butter and shortening into flour. Add ice water and mix.

Filling

• 8-10 Jonathon apples, peeled and sliced
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 2 tbs. flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1⁄4 tsp. nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. cornstarch

Mix all but apples. Place half of the mixture in the uncooked pie shell. Add apples. Top with  rest of mixture. Dot with butter. Bake at 450-degrees for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350-degrees and cook for an additional 40 minutes.