This is the recipe I turn to when I crave apple pie or someone requests I bring one to dinner. I use a combination of sweet and tart apples, apples that break down and apples that keep their shape — Jonagold, Jonathan, Granny Smith, and/or Pippin.

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sliced apples, sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, vanilla, and lemon juice. Toss (with your hands) or stir until the ingredients are well distributed and the apples are coated with the sugar mixture.
3. On a floured surface, roll out the disks of pie dough to a diameter that exceeds your pie dish by 1½ inches. Line a pie plate with one circle of dough, scoop or pour in the apple mixture, and cover with the second pie-dough round. Press the edges of dough together, crimp, and cut vents into the top crust with a sharp knife.
4. Place the pie on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook 35 to 45 minutes, until you can see the juices bubbling through the vents and the crust is a lovely golden brown.
5. Remove from the oven and cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.