Top your pie with ice cream and call it à la mode, if you will; call it paradise when you use firm, flavorful apples like Granny Smith, Rome Beauty, Braeburn, and Winesap. Apple pie is especially fine when made with Cheddar Pie or Pastry Dough. Please read About Crusts Baked with Fillings.

Prepare:

Line a 9-inch pie pan with half the dough. Peel, core, and slice ¼ inch thick:

Whisk together in a large bowl:

Stir in the apples along with:

Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring several times, so that the apples soften slightly.

Pour the filling into the bottom crust and gently level with the back of a spoon. Dot the top with:

Cover with a pricked or vented top crust, and freeze for 15 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour to chill the crust. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 425°F.

For a bronzed crust, brush the top of the pie with:

Sprinkle with:

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake until the fruit feels just tender when a knife is poked through a steam vent and juices have begun to bubble through the vents, 30 to 45 minutes more. Let cool completely on a rack, 3 to 4 hours.

The pie is best the day it is baked, but it can be kept at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. If you wish to serve the pie warm, place it in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes.

Precooking the filling eliminates any gap between it and the top crust when baked and produces a beautifully full, compact pie that slices like a dream.

Prepare:

Line a 9-inch pie pan with half the dough. Peel, core, and slice a little thicker than ¼ inch:

Melt in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over high heat until sizzling and fragrant:

Add the apples and toss until glazed. Reduce the heat to medium, cover tightly, and cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are softened on the outside but still slightly crunchy, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in:

Increase the heat to high and cook the apples at a rapid boil until the juices become thick and syrupy, about 3 minutes. Immediately spread the apples in a thin layer on a baking sheet, and let them cool to room temperature.

Spoon the apple mixture into the bottom crust. Cover with a vented top crust or a lattice, and freeze the pie for 15 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour to chill the crust. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

For a bronzed crust, brush the top of the pie with:

Bake until the crust is richly browned and the filling has begun to bubble, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack, 3 to 4 hours.

The pie is best if eaten promptly, but it can be kept at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. If you wish to serve the pie warm, place it in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes.

Prepare I or II, using:

In place of an upper crust, top with a sprinkling of:

Bake as directed. If the streusel starts to become too brown, loosely cover with foil until the apples are tender. Let cool completely on a rack.