Ancho Apple Pie

I actually made a successful apple pie today.

This is quite a feat. Baking and I do not mix. Recently, while making cookies, I somehow managed to turn the oven off mid-bake. Another time, I made a mocha sponge roll with butter-cream frosting, but didn't mix the frosting quite long enough—-so it got served with big lumps of butter in it. Also, I just made an apple cake this week that isn't sweet. Not sure what happened there.

But my pie is good! Recipe follows. I modified the one on the pie crust box.

Ancho Apple Pie

9” pie pan or dish
2 very large bowls
1 pkg pie crusts
3 lb apples
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbs flour
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ancho chile powder
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tbs butter
2 tbs milk, half-and-half, or cream

Core, peel, and slice apples. Set aside in very large bowl.

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare bottom crust according to package directions.

Mix 2 types of sugar together in second very large bowl, then set aside 2 tbs sugar mixture. Combine remaining sugar with flour, cinnamon, ancho chile powder, cloves, salt, and nutmeg.

Add sliced apples to bowl and pour back and forth between bowls until apples are well coated and there is little mix still loose.

Cut butter into very small pieces. Mound apples in bottom crust, and dot with butter.

Place top crust over apples and crimp edges over bottom crust. Brush with cream and sprinkle with set-aside 2 tbs sugar. (If cream ‘pools’ anywhere, add enough sugar there to make a loose paste.)

Slit top to vent pie.

Bake on bottom rack for 15 min. Remove pie and cover edges with foil.

Re-set oven to 350. Return pie to middle rack and bake another 45-60 min.

Cool for one hour before cutting.