Easy Dinner

Very easy for me since someone else cooked it.

We had dinner at our neighbours last night. Clif made his honey garlic baby back ribs and he also did a dry version with garlic and rosemary for me. He knows that I don't like sweet sauces on my ribs. How good a neighbour is that!!! And he never cooks carrots either.

I did make dessert though. I got an apple pie baked before leaving for work. It was in the oven by 7:00 am.



I don't usually measure anything when I make an apple pie

But here is the basic idea.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Basic Apple Pie
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5 or 6 apples
juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
cinnamon to taste
2 tablespoons flour (more if the apples are very juicy,less if not)
1 tablespoon butter
double pie crust

Heat oven to 425°F.

Peel and slice the apples. Squeeze half a lemon over slices and toss to coat. Add the sugars, flour and cinnamon and toss again.

Roll out bottom crust and line pie plate. Add apples, dot with 1 tablespoon of butter and cover with second crust. Decorate with leftover pastry. Make sure to cut a couple of vent holes.

Place pie on bottom rack. Bake for 15 minutes. This helps to cook the bottom crust.

Reduce heat to 375°F, and raise the pie to the middle rack. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. If the crust is browning too quickly, you can cover loosely with a piece of foil.

Butter-Lard Pastry
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2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup lard (or shortening- Crisco)
5 to 6 tablespoons of ice water, or more as needed

(note: if using for a sweet pie, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar.)

Mix flour with salt, and cut in butter and lard.

You can cut the butter/lard in using the food processor or with a
pastry blender.

Or you can use a box grater for the butter.

Put flour mixture in bowl and add water mixing with a fork until pastry
comes together. Form in to a ball and cut in two pieces. Form each
into a round flat disc and refrigerate for 1 hour.

The secret to a good crust is to not over-handle the dough.