This rustic-style pie evoked images of apron-clad moms setting out steaming-hot baked goods on windowsills to cool. The scent of baked apple and cinnamon filled the entire house, contributing to the sense of nostalgia.

I’d always heard that baking the elusive flaky pie crust was so difficult, it wasn’t worth the time and effort. The standard advice was, “Buy pre-made crusts. They’ll come out better.” But as someone who has baked her own graham crackers, I wasn’t so easily deterred.

After doing some research, I began to understand why people shied away from making their own crusts. Fastidious attention to temperature of the ingredients seems to be the key. My first crusts came out fairly decent, but I wasn’t completely happy with the texture. Then this month’s Food & Wine magazine ran an article about making a perfectly flaky crust.

Along with directions for “perfectly flaky butter pie dough,” the magazine also had a recipe for a double-crust apple-apricot pie. Perfect! Granny Smith apples are available at our Native Grocery Store, and dried apricots are a staple in our pantry. The finished pie came out of the oven steaming with the scent of apples and apricot and with a golden-brown crust puffed up into a flaky  top.

Double-Crust Apple-Apricot Pie

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• dough for two pie crusts (see link below for pie crust recipe and directions)
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, quartered, and cut into thick slices
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup diced dried apricots
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Roll out a little more than half of the dough into a 13-inch disc. Transfer to a 9-inch glass pie dish.
2. Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch disc and keep in refrigerator until you are ready for it.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. In a large bowl, toss together apples, apricots, orange zest, flour, cinnamon and sugar.
5. Pour apple mixture into crust.
6. Brush edge of crust with egg white. This will help seal the two crusts together.
7. Place second pie crust on top of first. Trim edges and decoratively crimp. Cut slashes in top crust to allow steam to vent.
8. Place oven rack on lower third of oven. Place pie on a baking sheet and put in over to bake for 1 hour. Cover edges of pie with a pie ring or aluminum foil during last 20 minutes of baking to prevent burning.
9. Remove pie from oven and allow to cool before serving.

We served this pie with extra rich vanilla ice cream, which was excellent. A slice of sharp cheddar cheese is another traditional option.

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine Magazine, November 2012 issue.