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1
About an hour and a half before serving pie:
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2
Prepare favorite pastry pie crust (ie Dad's Mazola No-Roll Pie/Pastry Shell). Then make pie shell having fluted or rope edge.
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3
Start heating oven to 400 d F. Wash, pare then quarter apples; cut each quarter into 4 pieces, making 7 cups good-sized chunks.
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4
In a large bowl, toss apple chunks with a mixture of 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and the nutmeg or cinnamon, until each apple chunk is completely coated. Fill pie shell with apple chunks, piling them high in the center of the pie; then sprinkle them with lemon juice.
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5
Thoroughly mix 1/2 cup each of sugar and flour, and the butter, into a soft paste; spread over top of piled apple chunks.
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6
Place pie in paper bag (so the opening is to the side, not the top), closing and stapling open end (I fold over the open end once, then staple shut with a staple or two). Set on rack in center of oven and bake about 1 hour (you may have to bake longer: up to one hour and forty five minutes, depending on your apples), until apples test done and pie is golden and caramelized. (Note: Never leave pie unattended while baking, especially when using the paper bag method!).
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7
When pie is nicely browned, remove pie from oven and let cool in the bag for 5-10 minutes.
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8
Carefully remove pie from the paper bag and place pie on rack. Let pie cool on rack for about 30 minutes before slicing.
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9
Then, while still warm, cut pie into wedges and serve as is, with favorite cheese, or topped with vanilla ice cream.
