Grandpa Ebejer’s Apple Pie

            My family had the pleasure of living in Germany and Slovenia for almost seven years.  Some of our greatest memories were made 6,000 miles from my current front door.  Because of our pirate-family’s attitude, “Hey, we can do that!” Our kids attended national schools in both countries.  Slovenia, in particular, has an interesting lunch program.  There, a small army of ladies staff the school kitchen to create healthy meals, much like a mom would create for dinner.  Ted was amazed to realize that he was allowed to eat as much schnitzel as he would like as long as he finished his all of the food on his plate.  Quickly, the cooks in the kitchen learned to not even bother putting rice on Ted’s plate, it was just not going to go down no matter what they said.  These ladies took their jobs seriously.  On a daily basis, they made a home style soup, salad, meat, potato or starch food and dessert, all for the equivalent of about .50 cents a day! 

As much as we loved trying the different foods in Germany and Slovenia, the people loved trying American food.   The last year we lived in Slovenia my friend Darja decided that we would create a complete Thanksgiving dinner at her home, including pies.  Today, Darja contacted me requesting I post an American apple pie, one that has the same filling as a MacDonald’s apple pie, but better tasting.

            Grandpa Ebejer’s Apple Pie

          Easy Pie Crust

          Part 1                                                                    

          2 cups flour                                                        

          1 cup Crisco Shortening/ or butter                          

          or half shortening half butter   or use                     

          of vegetable oil              

½ Table spoon sugar

         Part 2

         ½ Tablespoon vinegar
         1 egg  
         ¾ cup of water

Mix group 1 by cutting with pastry cutter until well mixed—into tiny pellets.  If you do not have a pastry cutter, do what I learned to use:  two knives to mix my crust. 

Mix group 2 with group 1 Fist with fork, then by hand until mixture holds together.

Put in refrigerator until ready to use.  Makes top and bottom crust.

           Apple Pie

Ingredients for filling:

½ cup each light brown sugar and white sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter

2 pounds, or about one 1 kilo of tart cooking apples, sliced thin

4 tablespoons flour

To bake:

Prepare pastry for 9 inch crusts, as shown above.

Roll bottom crust about 1’inch larger than the top and lay it gently on inside of pie dish, fit to remove air from between crust and pie plate.

Mix all ingredients for filling in a large bowl.  After the cinnamon sugar mixture completely covers the apples, dump into bottom crust.

Melt butter and evenly pour over apples.

Lay top crust over the apples, fold bottom crust over top crust, after trimming, and seal by pressing with a forks around the crusts edge.

Slit top to ventilate

Brush cream over the top crust to produce, and then sprinkle a small amount of cinnamon sugar mixture.

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F (about 220 degrees C).  Bake for 10 minutes then turn down the heat to 325 degrees F (about 165 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until edges are brown.

Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

It is an Ebejer tradition to eat our apple pie with cheddar cheese.