DUBE'S BRANDY APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust:
• In a large bowl, sift together flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and mace.
• Cut in butter with a pastry blender until pea-sized clumps form.
• In a small bowl, whisk together brandy, vanilla, and whole egg. Pour into flour mixture and blend with a fork until mixture is moist and holds together.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Divide in two.
• Sprinkle with just enough flour and sugar to coat.
• Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap.
• Flatten and form two discs.
• Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.
• Make the filling:
• In a large bowl, sift together sugars, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and mace; set aside.
• Place apples in another large bowl.
• In a small bowl, mix together brandy and vanilla; pour over apples.
• Add 3/4 of the flour mixture to the apples; toss to combine.
• Preheat the oven to 400°.
• Butter and flour a 12-inch pie plate; set aside.
• Place two large sheets of plastic wrap on top of one another on a work surface.
• Sprinkle with enough flour and sugar to lightly coat.
• Place 1 disc of dough on plastic wrap, and lightly sprinkle with flour and sugar.
• Cover dough with 2 large pieces plastic wrap.
• Roll out dough between plastic wrap to a 14-inch circle.
• Peel off top layers of plastic wrap and flip dough over into prepared pie plate.
• Carefully peel off remaining layers of plastic wrap.
• Using scissors or a sharp paring knife, trim edges to 1 inch. Reserve trimmings.
• Sprinkle reserved flour mixture into pastry-lined pie plate.
• Fill with apple mixture, mounding in the center; dot with butter.
• Roll out second disc of dough between plastic wrap following the same process as above.
• Lay over apples.
• Cut vents into top crust.
• Trim edges to 1 inch and seal crimping edges with thumb and forefinger.
• Divide beaten egg yolk in half.
• Add enough red food coloring to half the yolk to create desired shade of red; set remaining yolk aside.
• Gather reserved pastry trimmings together and roll 1/8-inch thick; brush with colored yolk.
• Cut out into leaf shapes.
• Brush top of pie with reserved egg yolk and attach decorative shapes.
• Sprinkle with sugar.
• Place pie on a baking sheet.
• This will catch any juices that may overflow during baking.
• Loosely cover pie with parchment-lined aluminum foil.
• Transfer pie to oven and bake for about 1 hour.
• Reduce temperature to 375° and continue baking for another hour.
• During the last 10 minutes of baking, remove foil so that the pie has a nice golden color.
• Serve pie warm.