cooking ala mel

There are few things I like better than a classic apple pie with a flaky, buttery crust and sweet spiced apples.  This classic apple pie is simple and comforting, and it’s the perfect recipe to get your feet wet with pie making!

I have to start this post by saying that I am absolutely NOT an expert pie maker.  I don’t often make pies, and every time I make one, I wonder, “why don’t I make these more often?!”

I come from a lot of AMAZING pie makers.  Both of my grandmothers make the most delicious pies — my dad’s mom can churn the most delicious pies out like crazy, and she always has pie dough ready to go in the fridge around the holidays!  My grandfather (my dad’s dad), though he would never admit it, made the best coconut cream pie around… it just took him about 5 pie crusts before he was satisfied — you’d always know he was baking a pie when you found discarded pie crusts scattered all over the kitchen counters — and even then, he’d never admit that it was a success. 😉

I have never made a perfect looking pie crust — today’s pie is the prettiest one I have ever made, by far — but as soon as you decide you don’t care about your pie being perfect, that’s when the real magic begins (even if my pap never believed that, haha!).  I find the whole pie making process to be incredibly therapeutic, from peeling and chopping apples, to rolling out the dough and creating fun shapes with leftover trimmings of crust.  I used to find the process stressful, but that’s when I expected a beautiful pie every time, even when I was first starting out.  Now, I just turn on some tunes and get going… and that’s been when the true rustic beauty comes out! 🙂 [Read more…]