Family Apple Pie Recipe from Iconic Red Lion Inn

Posted on November 25, 2014 By Hilltown Families

Apple Pie for the Holidays
with Executive Chef, Brian Alberg of The Red Lion Inn

Apple Pie is an American staple. First brought to the colonies in the 16th century, the pie has gone through several alterations over the centuries to become one of the most popular desserts in the country. There are almost unlimited ways to create an apple pie and Executive Chef Brian Alberg of The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA, has an Apple Pie recipe that is delicious!

Based on an original recipe from the family who has owned the Inn for over 40 years, this Apple Pie has a crisp, buttery crust and delicious filling. Owner of the Inn, Nancy Fitzpatrick provided some insight into today’s recipe…

“The recipe is based on my grandmother, Mary Pratt’s apple pie, and was the pie my mother (occasionally, for company) made when I was growing up. I remember hearing that when we first opened, Nana May (as we called her), went out to the kitchen and showed the chef how she made her pie. She was a wonderful cook. There was always dessert at her house. My grandfather had a huge vegetable garden that she made great use of.”

Nancy’s Mother and Father, Mrs. Jane Fitzpatrick and her husband, Senator Jack Fitzpatrick, acquired The Red Lion Inn in 1968. The Inn is now run by Nancy’s step-daughter, Sarah Eustis. This Apple Pie recipe is currently in the very capable hands of Executive Chef, Brian Alberg who has been with the Inn for 10 years. They have graciously shared their recipe with Hilltown Families, passing down a family recipe from theirs to yours for the holidays:

Red Lion Inn Apple Pie

Servings: 8
Time: 60mins
Difficulty: medium
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Preheat the oven to 375º.

5 pounds McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and sliced  (if McIntosh are not available, substitute another tart apple such as Cortland)
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Crust for a two-crust pie (recipe below)
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk

Place the apples in a large bowl. Combine 1 cup of the sugar and the cinnamon, and add to the apples. Toss until well mixed.
Fill the unbaked pie shell with the apple mixture, and dot with the butter. Fit the top crust over the filling, and crimp the top and bottom edges together to seal the apples in.
Whisk together the egg and the milk. Brush the top crust with this egg wash, and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Pierce the top crust in several places with a sharp knife.
Bake at 375º for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the apples are tender when tested with a thin knife.

Yields 1 pie.

Pie Crust for Two-Crust Pie

1/2 cup butter, cold
1/2 cup shortening
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk, cold

Blend the butter and shortening together with a wooden spoon in a small bowl.
Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl. Cut in the butter and shortening, using a pastry blender or two knives, until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the cold milk, and blend until absorbed. Divid the dough in half and roll each half into a ball. Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. (Or, if using a food processor, place the butter, shortening, flour, and salt in the bowl; fit with a steel blade. Process until the mixture reaches the consistency of cornmeal. With the processor on, add the milk slowly through the funnel until the dough forms a ball.)
When you are ready to bake the pie, roll each half of the chilled pie dough out on a floured board until it is slightly larger than the pie plate. Fit one half into the pie plate, place a filling inside, add the top crust, and flute the edges together.

Yields 2 crusts.

(From The Red Lion Inn Cookbook; Featured on HilltownFamilies.org)

About Brian Alberg

Executive Chef and Director of Food & Beverage at The Red Lion Inn and Director of Food and Beverage with Main Street Hospitality Group in Stockbridge, MA, Brian is a staunch supporter of the local food movement, a James Beard honored chef and founding chair of Berkshire Farm & Table.

About The Red Lion Inn

The Red Lion Inn (c. 1773), a charter member of Historic Hotels of America, has been providing food and lodging to guests for over two centuries, is located at 30 Main Street, Stockbridge, Mass. For more information, contact 413-298-5545, or visit www.redlioninn.com.