Rebecca DeMarino's Grandmother Horton's Pippin Pie

Rebecca DeMarino lives in the Pacific N.W. with her husband Tom, and like her mother, grandmother and her ninth great-grandfather, Barnabas Horton, she loves to bake apple pie! When not writing or baking, she enjoys hiking, tracking down her family roots, and gardening. 

Her debut novel, A Place in His Heart, is a historical romance inspired by her ninth great-grandparents, Barnabas and Mary Horton, and is book one of The Southold Chronicles.

Rebecca's Newest Book Release: A PLACE IN HIS HEART 

Anglican Mary Langton longs to marry for love. Left at the altar and disgraced in her small hamlet, she is being pressured to marry the eligible son of the London milliner. Puritan Barnabas Horton, the town baker, still grieves the loss of his beloved wife, but he knows his two young sons need a mother.

With tender hearts, Mary and Barnabas take a leap of faith and wed. But when Barnabas’s secret plans to move his family to the New World to escape persecution come to light, Mary’s world is upended. How could she possibly leave her Papa and her dear sister? And will she ever reach the secret places of her husband’s broken heart?

Rebecca's Grandmother Horton's Recipe for Pippin Pie

Pie Crust:
2/3 cup lard or 2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons shortening 

2 cup flour 

1 teaspoon salt 

4-5 tablespoons water

Filling:
¾ cup sugar 

¼ cup flour 

½ teaspoon cinnamon 

½ teaspoon ginger 

pinch of salt
6 medium Newtown Pippin Apples or any tart baking apple 

2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. To make pie crust, cut lard into flour and salt until combined to the size of peas. Sprinkle in water, one tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until pastry leaves sides of bowl. Hint: use ice water. Gather into ball, divide in two and roll into two pastry rounds on floured board.

To make the filling: Mix together the dry ingredients in large bowl. Mince apples or slice thin. (Should equal 6 cups) Stir apples into flour mixture to coat. Hint: put apples and flour mixture into a large zip-lock bag and massage until coated. Line a 9” pie pan or plate (Hint: spray with canola oil) with pastry round. Pile apple mixture into pie plate, dot with chunks of butter. Cover with second pastry round, crimp edges to seal. Cut slits in top. Bake 40 – 50 minutes, until top is browned and juice bubbles from slits. Halfway through baking, brush cover (top crust) with rosewater and sprinkle with sugar. Hint: Cover edges with foil last 15 minutes of baking.