All-American Apple Pies

Make crust:
Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Using on/off turns, cut in shortening and butter until coarse meal forms. Blend in enough ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form moist clumps (I used about 8). Gather dough and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

Make filling:
Combine sugars with cinnamon and toss to coat apple. Place in a strainer over a bowl for about 30 minutes to allow some of the juices to drain.

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Roll out dough on a clean, floured work surface. Using the pie mold, cut out 14–16 stars. If you don’t have a pie mold you could simply cut into small squares or try using a cookie cutter.

Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the apple mixture into each pie.

Wet the edge of each pie with water and top with another cut-out before pressing into the pie mold. Place on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat. Brush with egg wash mixture and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 15–20 minutes, rotating your pan halfway through, until crust is golden brown. Remove to a rack and cool completely (if you can wait!) before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.