Ingredients
For filling
For pastry dough
Preparation
Make filling:
Step 1
Peel, halve, and core apples and cut into 1/4-inch slices. In a large bowl toss apples with granulated sugar, dried cherries, dried cranberries, or raisins, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons flour. In a small bowl mix together with fingertips brown sugar, butter, and remaining 2 tablespoons flour.
Make pastry dough:
Step 2
In a large bowl stir together flour and salt. With a pastry blender or fingertips blend in shortening, blending until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing to incorporate until mixture forms a dough. On a work surface smear dough in several forward motions with heel of hand to develop the gluten in flour and make dough easier to work with. Scrape dough together to form a ball and halve, flattening halves to 1-inch-thick disks. Wrap 1 disk in plastic wrap and reserve. Roll other disk into an 11-inch round and fit into a 9-inch pie plate (1-quart capacity), leaving 3/4-inch overhang. Spoon apple mixture into pastry and top with brown sugar mixture. Cover filling loosely with plastic wrap.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 4
Halve reserved dough. On a lightly floured surface roll 1 half into a very thin 11-inch round and with a fluted pastry wheel cut round into 1 3/4-inch-wide strips. Repeat procedure with remaining dough.
Step 5
Weave dough strips in a closed lattice pattern over pie and trim lattice edges flush with rim of pie plate. Roll overhanging dough from bottom pastry up over edge of lattice top and crimp decoratively. Brush lattice top with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Step 6
Put sheet of foil on lower rack of oven. Bake pie in middle of oven 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until top is golden and filling is bubbling. Cool pie on rack and serve warm or at room temperature.
