Greg's Old-Fashioned Apple Pie

Greg came up with this apple pie recipe for Thanksgiving 2012. The filling is reminiscent of pecan pie filling, but without the nuts.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
4 Tbs flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
4 apples*
2 nine-inch (9") unbaked pie crusts (1 in pie plate, 1 for making lattice top)

*For best results use a fairly firm, tart baking apple like Rome Beauty, Stayman, Granny Smith or Jonathan. Don't use McIntosh or Cortland because they get too mushy or mealy in pies (however, they're great for making applesauce).

Preheat oven at 350°F. Peel and core the apples, then cut into chunks.  If the apples are very firm or hard, pre-cook the chunks in a saucepan with a little water on the bottom (not the 1/4 cup of water listed above) until the apples begin to get tender. Softer apple varieties can skip this step.

Make a roux with the flour and butter:  Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, then add flour 1 tablespoon at a time,  stirring constantly to fully incorporate before adding the next tablespoon. Continue stirring and cooking until you get a nice light brown roux. Stir in the white and brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir this paste and begin adding water until you get a syrup, then remove from heat. Place the apple chunks on the pie crust in the pie plate, then pour the warm syrup over the apples to mostly cover. Cut the remaining pie crust into strips about 1" wide, then lay the strips in a lattice pattern over the filled pie.  Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let cool and set for several minutes before cutting & serving. Tastes great with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria