Apple and Spiced Cranberry Pie

Pie Crust Dough In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.

Add cold cubed butter into flour mixture, gently mixing with your hands to coat each cube of butter with flour.

Using pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until combined. The butter should appear as a mixture of pea and lima bean size clumps.

Add cold water, 2 tbsp. at a time. Working with a fork or wooden spoon, stir in enough water to moisten all of the flour mixture. Once large clumps of dough start forming, gather the dough up and transfer onto a cold work surface. Using the palm of your hand to push down and incorporate all ingredients, elongating the pieces of butter to make a smooth dough.

Divide dough in half; from one of the halves remove a third of the dough forming 3 balls of dough with varying sizes. Largest for bottom crust, medium for lattice and smallest for decorative edge and top of pastry. Flatten the three balls of dough into 3 discs, wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours preferably overnight.

Pie Filling In a large bowl, toss apples with juice of half of lemon and set aside.

In a 10-inch skillet, combine juice of remaining half of lemon, sugar and spices; toss in cranberries.

Cook, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until cranberries are softened and begin to be juicy (4 to 5 minutes).

Toss apples with flour to coat. Stir in cranberries.

Form Crust Dust parchment or work surface and rolling pin with flour. Place the largest disc of dough on the floured surface and press the dough down in the center with palm of hand to flatten slightly.

Keeping work surface, rolling pin, and hands lightly floured, roll out dough into a 12-inch circle. Rolling from center to edge, turning dough between rolls with your hand.

Using rolling pin, lift and place dough into 9-inch pie plate. Press dough firmly against bottom and sides. Place in freezer.

Roll medium disc of dough into a 10-inch circle. Using straight edge pastry wheel, cut 10(1-inch) strips for lattice.

Pie Fill pastry with apple and cranberry mixture.

Lay out 6 parallel strips of dough over filling, with equal space between each strip. Fold back every other strip.

Lay remaining 4 strips of dough, weaving cross and parallel strips of dough to form lattice.

Trim the dough and pinch together edges of bottom and lattice pastry. Set aside.

Roll out remaining disc of dough into a 9- inch circle. With 1-inch mini leaf patterns or your favorite cookie or aspic cutters, make 24 cut-outs. Place around edge of pie, press and overlap each design.

With remaining rolled out dough, cut out 3 to 5 larger leaves or patterns with 2 to 3-inch cookie cutters to decorate top of pie.

Bake in preheated 425 degree oven. Bake on lower rack for 15 minutes to insure a browned bottom crust. Lower temperature to 350 degree. Loosely cover top of pie with aluminum foil and move pie to middle rack. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. (Baking times will vary depending on type of pie pan used.)

Remove from oven; brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

Let stand 20 to 30 minutes before serving.