French or English Lemon Apple Pie

Unbaked Pies in the form of Tarts

This recipe comes via my family. There's no way to know how many generations of my relatives have enjoyed it after dinner... My mother has been making it as long as I can remember and it's absolutely delicious - especially since there are no 'traditional' spices in it. This pie is flavored with lemon and sugar only - no cinnamon or nutmeg at all. The result is a breathtakingly refreshing pie that tastes like freshly picked apples.

It's labeled either 'French' or 'English' depending on the whim of my mother. We'll call it Anglo Saxon. One tip I've learned is to have everything except the apples mixed in a large bowl - especially the lemon - and as you grate the apples, stir them quickly into the mix. The citric acid keeps them from browing as you work.

Here are the directions verbatim, as passed on from my grandmother, to my mother and then to me:

1 unbaked pie crust
3 medium sized apples
1 ½ Tbl butter
½ Cup Sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and lemon, then the apples grated fine. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350 for 30-40 min or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Absolutely lovely with vanilla-rose icecream.