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To make the crust: Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at low speed until mixed, using the paddle attachment if available. Add the butter and beat until the butter is the size of large blueberries with some smaller pieces. With the mixer running, add the water by tablespoons until the dough is moist and just beginning to stick together. You want to stop mixing before a ball forms. (The dough can also be made by hand.)

Gather the dough together with your hands and divide in half. Press each half into a disk, cover, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight. (If you’re in a hurry, you can freeze the dough for 15 to 20 minutes or until firm.)

Place the oven rack in the bottom position and preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out one of the disks on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch round. Line a 9-inch glass deep-dish pie plate with the dough, trimming the edges evenly with the edge of the pie plate. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

To make the filling: Toss all of the apples in a large bowl with the lemon juice, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk the egg and cream together in a small bowl. Pile the apple mixture into the pie shell, mounding it in the center. Pour the egg mixture over the apples.

Roll out the remaining dough to a 12-inch round and place it over the apples. Fold the edges under and flute them. Cut six steam vents in the top. Lightly brush the top crust with the egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Loosely cover the edges of the crust with foil.

Bake the pie for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown on the top and the apples are tender (stick the tip of a thin knife through a steam vent to check the apples). Cool on a wire rack.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

NOTE

An electric mixer with a paddle attachment makes a perfect pie crust. The paddle quickly breaks up the butter into small pieces while keeping it cold, thereby creating flaky pastry. It’s also easy to control the amount of water by slowly adding it while the mixer is running.

SERVES 8

CINNAMON–BROWN SUGAR CRUST

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄8 teaspoon salt

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut up

3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

FILLING

3 cups sliced peeled Granny Smith apples (¼ to 3⁄8 inch thick; about 1 pound)

3 cups sliced peeled Golden Delicious apples (¼ to 3⁄8 inch thick; about 1 pound)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (use 3 tablespoons if apples are extra juicy)

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1⁄8 teaspoon salt

1 egg

½ cup heavy (whipping) cream

1 egg white, lightly beaten until frothy

1 tablespoon sugar

FEEL PRETTY

Chickens spend a lot of time grooming themselves throughout the day (and you thought you’d left those teenage years behind). To keep their feathers looking shiny and pretty, they use their beak to transfer oil from a gland near their tail to their feathers and skin. This process is called preening. They like to find a perch and work every part of their feathers and skin, keeping them shiny and beautiful.

They also bathe in the dust. The fine dirt settles on their feathers and filters through to their skin. They’ll usually roll around, rubbing the dirt into their pores before shaking like a wet dog, scattering the dirt and debris away. It’s their way of keeping parasites from attaching to their skin. When they’re done, they walk away looking as clean as if they’d bathed in water (aren’t you dog owners jealous?).

Cranberry-Pear Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

A bread pudding is simply a delicate egg custard to which bread is added. Originally developed as a way to use up leftover bread, today’s bread puddings