One of the things I love about fall is apple pie. I used store-bought crust because homemade pie crust and I have a love-hate relationship and I just didn’t have it in me to deal with the drama this time!

Ingredients

7-8 apples, peeled and sliced thinly

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp minute tapioca

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

Egg to brush on the top crust

Turbinado sugar for the top crust

2 store bought pie crusts

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees while prepping the apples. Mix the sliced apples with the brown sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, tapioca, cinnamon and salt. Poke the bottom crust with a fork numerous times, then bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. I did not use pie weights, yes I know, walking on the edge but I like to live dangerously. I did, however, put aluminum foil around the edge because that part of the crust needs to be relatively uncooked to adhere (or crimp) properly to the top crust, once it is applied.

Put pie filling in baked bottom crust. Place the top crust carefully upon the pie and proceed to crimp the edges together. I used a fork to do this. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Next, remove the pie from the oven and lower the heat to 350 degrees. Brush the top crust with egg and sprinkle generously with Turbinado sugar. Put pie back in the oven for about an hour. Check periodically to determine if you need to place aluminum foil around the edges. This will prevent the crust from baking faster than the rest of the pie. Once the pie has achieved a golden brown hue, remove and cool on a baking rack.

à la mode, anyone?