adapted from epicurious
I’m not afraid to admit that I’m not an apple pie person. My thanksgiving hierarchy goes: anything with chocolate, pecan, pumpkin, then apple pie. I know it’s a classic, I’m just not a huge apple person. It is really difficult to bake apple pies well. Apples release so much water and have such variable cooking times, that baking apple pie takes precision in liquid management and oven time. I am, however, a fan of a good lattice crust. I chose to make this pie knowing I wanted to do an asymmetric lattice and decorate it with floral cutouts. I think it ads some interest and whimsy to an otherwise fairly run of the mill apple pie. The last thing I’ll say is to slice the apples as thin as possible. This ensures even and complete baking of all the fruit in the pie and an overall great result.
Process flour, salt and sugar together in a food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of large peas, about ten 1-second pulses.
In a separate bowl, use a fork to mix the sour cream and ice water together. Add half of this liquid mixture to the processor and pulse for three seconds. Repeat with the remaining liquid mixture. Pinch the dough with your fingers. If it does not hold together and is dry, crumbly, or floury, add 2-3 more tablespoons of ice water and pulse to combine.
Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and divide the dough into two equal balls. Flatten the balls into six-inch disks, wrap them in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let thoroughly chilled dough stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before rolling.)
Roll one disk on a floured surface into a circle of approximately 12-13 inch dimensions. Transfer this to a 9 inch pie plate, trim excess dough, and use a pinching motion to crimp the edges as desired. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate.
Roll out the second disk into a second 12-inch circle and trim away excess dough. Use a ruler to cut this circle into strips of varying width; place these strips onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using the excess dough from the circle, cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place these shapes on the baking sheet, cover in plastic, and refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix the sugars, flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples. Add the apple slices to the mixture and toss until the apples are evenly coated.
Remove the pie pan and the baking sheet from the refrigerator. Add the filling to the pie pan. Use the strips to create an lattice design of choice. I created an uneven, spread out lattice design using an under, over, under, over, pattern of laying the strips. Gently press the ends of the strips into the edge of the pie. Arrange the cut out shapes as desired on top of the lattice
Brush the lattice with milk. Bake pie for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Continue baking until juices bubble thickly and the crust is a deep golden color, about 1 hour 20 minutes. After 30 minutes of baking, cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil to avoid burning. Cool the pie on a wire rack for 1 hour before serving.