Summary: Growing up, apple pie did not excite me, and at our Thanksgiving and Christmas tables, I always chose blackberry and pumpkin pies instead. As I've grown, I've come to appreciate, even love, apple (and pecan) pie, and often find myself craving one when the first hint of fall creeps into the air. Here is my favorite recipe. It's appley, not too sweet, is delicious warm or cold, and makes a great next-day breakfast.

Yield: one 9-inch pie

Ingredients:

one unbaked pie crust (top and bottom); I prefer my Stir and Roll crust.
5-6 medium-large apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges; my favorite is to combine tart apples with a couple sweet ones
1/3 cup unrefined, granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, freshly ground if possible
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, optional
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (use more if your apples aren't terribly tart)
2 packed tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted), cut into small cubes

Instructions:

If you are making your own crust, do that first. Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together the sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves if using, and lemon juice. Pack gently into your crust-lined pie plate. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the apple filling and dot that with the little butter cubes.

Roll out a top crust and lay over the filling. If your crust is not a lattice or little shapes like mine in the photograph, cut a few steam vents.

Place your pie on a rimmed baking sheet, and slide into the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 375°, cover the pie lightly with a sheet of foil and bake an additional 45-50 minutes. The top should be golden and the apples soft. You might want to remove the foil for the last 5 minutes of cooking.