Ingredients
Crust
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, chilled
½ cup non-hydrogenated quality leaf lard, chilled
5 teaspoons ice water
Filling
¼ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup white sugar
2 rounded teaspoons of Saigon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of sea salt
2 tablespoons of unbleached all €“purpose flour
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
8 cups sliced Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼ inch thick slices
Egg Wash
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Directions
Crust
Blend flour sugar and salt in a food processor. Cut chilled butter into ½ inch cubes and add one piece at a time, using on/off pulses. Do the same with the chilled lard until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer mixture to large mixing bowl.
Add chilled water one tablespoon at a time, stirring mixture after each tablespoon. Gather dough together to form a ball. Do not overwork, just press together.
Divide in half and press each half into a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. Leave at room temperature to soften slightly before rolling out.
On a floured surface or wax paper, roll out one pie crust just large enough to cover a 9 inch glass pie plate. Place in plate and trim edges. Refrigerate.
Filling
Combine sugars, cinnamon, salt, flour and cornstarch in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until uniformly blended.
Place apples in a large mixing bowl and stir in sugar-cinnamon mixture until apples are well coated.
Pack coated apples tightly into crust-lined pie plate. Scrape remaining sugar mixture from mixing bowl over the packed apples.
Egg Wash
Mix egg yolk and heavy cream thoroughly.
Roll out second crust large enough to cover mounded, packed apples. Using a leaf shaped pie crust cutter or cookie cutter, cut leaf shapes from pie crust and place over pie. Brush each leaf with light coating of the egg wash. Egg wash colored with food coloring can be used to add fall coloring to the leaves. Continue to place pie crust leaves over the apples until pie is completely covered and there is a slight overlap at the edges. Small voids between leaves over pie crust surface acts as natural vents. Trim crust edge to the edge of pie plate and press edges lightly to seal
Bake at 400 degrees on rack placed at the lower third of the oven for approximately 50 to 60 minutes until filling starts to bubble and pie crust top and bottom are properly browned. Monitor crust closely, covering with foil and/or using pie crust shield as necessary until proper doneness is achieved.