Apple Slices or Slices of Apple?

Apple Slices - what is in your mind right when I say that?  Well, you can see the picture above so I'm not sure your answer actually counts.  Tell a 3 year old she gets to have an Apple Slice if she finishes her dinner - guess what she thinks she's getting?  A slice of apple.  Tell my dad?  He thinks he's getting a pastry filled with apple filling with icing on top.  Very different things.  My folks made this mistake watching our kids.  Told Bronwyn that if she finished her dinner she got an apple slice!  Wow she was disappointed when it was not a nice red apple slice.

I like to call this Apple Slab Pie because it seems to make more sense than Apple Slices.  This is a combo of two different recipes that we've tried.  The one recipe is from a family friend long ago but it had very little in the way of spices.   The other recipe had a crust made in a very odd way.  So - we compromised and tweaked and served this for Thanksgiving.  Easy to serve, people can have a big or little piece, try other desserts too.  No big commitment unless that's your hope.

This recipe for sure is winner.  It feeds an army or just the right amount.

Oh… and Bronwyn got her apple… she was at Grandma's… anything goes… almost.

Apple Slab Pie 

Crust:  

3 cups flour, sifted

1 cup lard (vegetable shortening)

½ cup water

1 egg

1 Tbls. Vinegar

Filling: 

15 medium size cooking apples

2 cups sugar

6 Tbls. Flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of all spice

1/4 tsp cardamom 

¼ tsp. salt

¼ cup butter

Glaze: 

4 Tbls. Butter melted

2 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Milk as needed for thin glaze

Cut flour into lard until size of a pea. Combine water, egg and vinegar; blend into flour mixture.  Divide dough in half.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Use an ungreased jelly roll pan.  Roll half of dough out: Place on pan.  Slice peeled apples (She used granny smiths) and place on crust.  Combine sugar, flour, spices, and salt.  Sprinkle over apples, dot with butter.  Roll out remaining dough and place over top of apples and seal crust… Make several slits on top.  Bake 1 hour.

Combine topping ingredients and drizzle over warm apple squares.