World’s Best Apple Pie

Using a small saucepan, combine 1/3 sup sugar and the flour, mix well. Stir in milk. Bring to boil, stirring. Reduce heat, simmer, stirring until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. In a bowl, beat 3 egg yolks slightly. Beat some of the hot mixture into the yolks. Pour back into saucepan, stirring. Add butter and vanilla. Turn into a bowl to cool. Set aside.

Core, pare, and slice the apples.  Sprinkle with lemon juice.  Heat butter in a skillet with the sugar and nutmeg.  Add the apples and saute, stirring occasionally.  Cook until tender and remove from heat.  Set aside.

Heat preserves until  “melted”. Preheat oven to 425.    Now, put the pie together!...

Put bottom crust into pie pan.  Do not crimp edge.  Spread cream filling on that.   Then carefully add  cooked apples, spreading them all around, and mounding slightly in the middle. Spread with preserves. Now the pie is glowing with golden color.

The top crust of the pie should show off the beautiful color of the pie.  Either use a lattice top or decorate with smaller pieces, perhaps from a cookie cutter. Crimp the edges after adding lattice pieces, if that is what you choose. Brush with egg yolk and a touch of water, just the lattice, not the crust.

Bake 40 minutes.  Serve warm for best taste.