Raspberry Apple Pie

With the warm Springtime temperatures comes the season of berries, apples, and fresh fruits. Your family is going to love this delicious raspberry apple pie!

Ingredients:

Homemade pie crust or 2 - 9 inch rollout pie crusts

3 1/2 pounds firm apples

1 tablespoon lemon juice

12 ounces of fresh raspberries ( or 2 - 6 ounce packages of raspberries from the produce section of your local market )

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup raspberry preserves 

3 tablespoons corn starch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water

1-2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450° and place the rack in the lowest position. Place a piece of plastic wrap (or foil) out on the counter. Flour the plastic wrap and place the pie crust dough on the floured work surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll one dough disk out into a large round circle approximately 12 inches across. Carefully lift the plastic wrap and flip the dough circle over into a 9 inch deep-dish pie pan. Gently fit the pie dough down into the pie pan--don't stretch it. Then fold the rough edges under and pinch-crimp the edges with your fingers.

Place the lemon juice in a large bowl. Peel and thinly slice all the apples (1/8-1/4 inch thick) tossing in the lemon juice as you add them to the bowl.

Add the raspberries, granulated sugar, raspberry preserves, corn starch, spices, and salt to the apples. Gently toss the mixture by hand to coat. Scoop the raspberry apple filling into the pie crust. Shake a little so the filling settles into place.

Roll out the second pie crust and use a cookie cutter to cut fun shapes for the top crust. Such as the heart shapes pictured. This will leave plenty of natural air vents. So it is both practical and pretty.

Lay the pie crust shapes over the filling, overlapping on the edges. Then whisk the egg and water to create an eggwash. Brush the eggwash over the top of the pie crust, then sprinkle the top of the crust with the brown sugar.

Place the pie in the oven, and LOWER THE TEMPERATURE TO 375  DEGREES F. The extra heat from the beginning gives the crust a little head start in baking. Bake the pie for 70-80 minutes, until golden and bubbly. If the crust starts to get dark, loosely cover with foil while baking. *Make sure you see the juices bubbling - otherwise the filling will be runny.

DO NOT cut the pie until it has cooled down to room temperature. I know it is hard to resist, but the filling needs time to settle and set, so it's not soupy. If you cut your pie too soon, it will fall apart. I suggest making the pie an evening before you need it and let it rest overnight. Or early in the day so that it will have time to cool down by evening. Enjoy!