Double - crust apple and raisins pie

Apple pie?
Yes, of course!

I know that now it's not the time for apple pie, but with all these delicious apples at the markets I can't help myself. You can serve it at room temperature and with some vanilla ice-cream and this makes it a summer treat:)

 My mom used to make apple pies all the time when I was little, but different from this one and now I really wanted to try a new version. The result: both are good and delicious, but my mom's is the best!

For my pie I used 4 different types of apples, to get a super-duper aroma. I used Pink Lady, Jazz, Golden and Braeburn. But you can go for any kind of apples you like.

Because I'm a raisins lover , I also used them in my pie. You can also use dried cranberries.

The design wasn't that great, but soon I am planning a berry pie and I hope it will look better.
And now the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

For Pastry:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons cold butter, cut up
• 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 6 1/2 tablespoons ice water

For Apple Filling:

•  2/3 cup sugar
•  1/3 cup cornstarch
•  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  3 1/2 pounds Pink Lady, Golden Delicious, Braeburn and Jazz apples, each peeled, cored, and cut into 16 wedges
•  1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
•  2 tablespoons butter, cut up
• 1/2 cup raisins

•  1 large egg white, lightly beaten
•  1 teaspoon sugar

DIRECTIONS:

 To prepare pastry: 

In food processor with knife blade attached, blend flour and salt. 

Add butter and shortening, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until large moist crumbs just begin to form. I had to use more water then in the recipe ( I added 5 tablespoons more)

Shape dough into 2 balls, 1 slightly larger. 
Flatten each into a disk; wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight. (If chilled overnight, let stand 30 minutes at room temperature before rolling.)

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 Place cookie sheet on rack in lower third of preheating oven to bake pie on later.

 To prepare apple filling:

 In a bowl, combine sugar with cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Put the apples in a large bowl and add the sugar mixture and lemon juice, and toss to coat evenly. 

On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll larger disk of dough into 12-inch round. 

Ease dough into 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass or ceramic pie plate.

Gently press dough against bottom and up side of plate without stretching.

Trim dough edge, leaving 1-inch overhang; reserve trimmings. 
Spoon apple mixture into pie crust and add the raisins; dot with butter. 

Roll remaining disk for top crust into 12-inch round.

Center round over filling in bottom crust.

Trim pastry edge, leaving 1-inch overhang; reserve trimmings. Fold overhang under;

Bring up over pie-plate rim and pinch to form stand-up edge, then make decorative edge. Brush crust with some egg white. 

Reroll trimmings.

Cut short slashes in round to allow steam to escape during baking.

 Brush cutouts with egg white, then sprinkle crust and cutouts with sugar.

 Bake pie 1 hour 10 minutes or until apples are tender when pierced with knife through slits in crust. 

To prevent over-browning, cover pie loosely with tent of foil after 40 minutes. 

Cool pie on wire rack 3 hours to serve warm. Or cool completely to serve later.

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