Step 1

Oven: 400 degrees.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 400:F. Prepare pastry for pie crust. If apples lack tartness, sprinkle with about 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Combine sugar, flour, spices, and dash salt; mix with apples. Line 9-inch pie plate with pastry. Fill with apple mixture; dot with butter. Adjust top crust, cutting slits for escape of steam; seal. Sprinkle with sugar.

Step 3

Bake at 400:F for 50 minutes or till done.

Step 4

For an Apple Crumb Pie:Prepare as above, except substitute single-crust pastry recipe for double-crust pastry recipe. Stir together 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in 3 Tbsp butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apple mixture.

Step 5

This is my favorite apple pie recipe, and I get loads of compliments every time. Some variations I've tried on in are replacing half the white sugar with light brown sugar, and mixing about half granny smith apples with half macintosh apples. For the crust, I usually use the recipe on the box of Butter Flavor Crisco.