Ingredients

• 3 cups peeled, sliced baking apples, such as Gravenstein
• 2/3 cup maple or white sugar
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon rose water
• Pastry for 2 (9-inch) crusts, recipe follows
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup lard
• Cold water, as needed
• About 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

Browse by ingredient

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Slice apples into mixing bowl and add sugar, cream, and rose water, and mix thoroughly, so that rose water will be distributed evenly. Line a 9-inch pie dish with favorite pastry. Fill with apple mixture and cover with top crust in which a few small vents have been slashed for steam to escape. Flute the edges well to keep juice from escaping. Bake in a moderate oven for 50 minutes.
3. In a bowl, rub the flour and lard together. Add enough water to make a dough (not too stiff).
4. On work surface, roll the dough out and spread with some of the butter. Fold over evenly and butter. Make a second fold. Roll out again, being careful not to squeeze the butter out. The layers of dough and butter repeated provide the flakiness of the crust.
5. Use a pinch of ginger in piecrust to eliminate the taste of lard in case it is not fresh.