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1
Preheat oven to 450 F.
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2
Prepare the pastry.
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3
Line a 9-inch pie pan with half of the pastry and set aside in the refrigerator, along with the unrolled half, while you make the filling.
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4
Taste a few slices of the apples to gauge how much sugar you'll need to make them sweet.
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5
In a large bowl, mix the apple slices in the lemon juice.
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6
Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to taste, then add the mace and nutmeg.
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7
Pour the apple mixture into the prepared pastry shell.
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8
Mound toward the center and dot with butter.
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9
Roll out the remaining pastry and carefully lay it over the apples.
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10
Seal the edges, cut vent holes, and decorate with extra pieces of dough cut into decorative shapes.
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11
Brush the egg wash over the surface of the pastry.
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12
Place the pie pan on a baking sheet (to catch any spill over) and cook in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes.
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13
Turn the oven down to 350 F. and continue to cook for about another hour, until the top crust is a beautiful golden brown.
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14
If the edges start to darken too much, cover with a ribbon of aluminum foil.
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15
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
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16
With the top off, sprinkle the butter and lard over the ingredients.
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17
Re-cover and pulse a few times until small clumps form.
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18
Begin to add the iced water through the feed tube, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing quickly until the dough begins to form into a ball.
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19
Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap.
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20
As you wrap the dough in the plastic, form it into a disk.
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21
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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22
Take the dough from the refrigerator and cut it into 2 pieces, one slightly bigger than the other.
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23
Wrap the smaller piece in plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator.
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24
Roll out the bigger piece on a lightly floured surface until it's slightly larger than the pie pan.
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25
Drape one end of the dough over the pin and gently lift it up, then slip the pan underneath the dough and lower it into the pan.
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26
Press the dough gently and quickly against the sides of the pan.
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27
Leave about an inch of dough hanging over the sides of the pan and cut any excess away.
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28
Refrigerate the crust for at least 30 minutes before either filling or prebaking.
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29
If you are making a pie with a top crust, after you have filled the pie, take the smaller disk from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it's a little bigger than the pie.
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30
Drape one end of the dough over the rolling pin, lift it gently, then drape it over the top of the filling.
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31
Press the edges together and crimp to seal.
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32
Slash a few vents across the top of the crust to allow steam to escape and bake the pie according to the directions in the recipe you are using.
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33
(If you are not making a pie with a top crust, either freeze the second dough disk or make an extra bottom crust.)
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34
Makes a double 9-inch crust
