Apple Pie, Just Like Our Mothers and Grandmothers Used to Make

Few cakes bring back childhood as quickly as homemade apple pie. The familiar combination of cinnamon, juicy apples and pastry that melts in the mouth gives this old-fashioned dessert its enduring appeal.

The recipe uses simple ingredients rather than complicated techniques. The dough combines flour, sugar, baking powder, cold butter, egg yolks, salt and lemon zest. Cold water can be added if needed, then the dough is divided into two portions. One rests in the refrigerator, while the other chills in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

For the filling, peel and grate 1 kilogram of apples, then mix them with vanilla sugar, regular sugar and cinnamon. Lemon juice, raisins soaked in rum or liqueur, and other flavorings can be added according to taste. The first layer of dough goes into a buttered and floured 20-by-30-centimeter pan, receives a brief pre-bake, and is then covered with the apples.

The frozen portion of dough is grated over the filling before the pie returns to the oven for about 40 minutes, until golden. It should cool fully before being cut into squares and dusted with powdered sugar. Served with coffee or tea, the pie may be even tastier the next day, when the pastry softens and takes on the scent of apples and cinnamon.