It’s that time of year again, apple season. Our trees are practically raining Granny Smiths. In anticipation of a long apple season we have begun to experiment with apple pies; this recipe is our current favorite. What makes it special are two things: 1) an all butter homemade crust with some ground up almonds (I used a blender to chop up blanched almonds) added to the flour, and 2) including a little brandy and vanilla to the filling, along with the traditional spices. The trick is when to pull the pie out. The cooking time will vary a bit, depending on the apples you are using. Granny Smiths cook up pretty quickly, Gravensteins, longer. So look for a nice browned crust and you should be able to look through the venting slits to see the filling bubbling. Homemade crusts can be a challenge if you aren’t used to making them. See the following recipes for more detailed instructions: Perfect Pie Crust and All Butter Crust with Almonds.

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