Step 1

In a large bowl or food processor, whisk together kosher salt and all-purpose flour. Add the eight tablespoons of butter and the leaf-lard or shortening.

Step 2

With a pastry cutter or the food processor on 'pulse', cut the fats and flour together until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Most of the fat should be the size of sweet peas or beans, and larger sized bits of fat are encouraged.

Step 3

Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, pour one tablespoon of ice water at a time in and stir with a large rubber spatula or spoon. Stir after each addition of water. Stop adding water when the dough begins to clump together.

Step 4

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. It should be slightly, slightly tacky and come together easily. Form the dough into a ball, then divide it into two halves. Flatten each half into 1 inch thick discs. Wrap each dough disc tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour (but they can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days).

Step 5

In a large pot over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, lemon zest and juice, and flour. Add apples and toss with a wooden spoon.

Step 6

Cover pot and cook the apples, stirring occasionally, making sure the sugar doesn't burn and the liquid is bubbling. The apples should begin to soften in 10 minutes.

Step 7

In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and apple cider. Pour into the apple mixture and turn the temperature to low. Let cook for another 5 minutes, or until apples have softened and become a little tender.

Step 8

Let apple filling cool for one hour to overnight before assembling apple pie.

Step 9

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C; gas mark 5).

Step 10

Remove one pie crust disk from the fridge, unwrap it, and place it on a work surface. Roll out the disk from the center outward, lifting crust slightly and rotating it 90 degrees after every few rolls. Lift and dust underside with flour every so often to prevent the pie crust from sticking. Roll dough out to be about 11 to 12 inches, and about 1/8" thick.

Step 11

With your rolling pin, roll pie crust off the work surface to loosely wrap around the pin and carefully it roll out into the pie dish. Trim the edges to 1/2 inch beyond the lip of your pie dish, then turn the edge under to create the rim. Press the rim against the pan to form an even edge. Use scraps to fill in any tears, thin spots, or holes in the pie crust. Refrigerate the pie crust for 15 minutes to chill the fats.

Step 12

Remove the crust from the fridge and cover the crust with a large piece of parchment paper. Fill the parchment paper with dried beans or pie weights, then cover the edges with strips of aluminum foil to prevent browning. Bake for 20 minutes.

Step 13

Remove the parchment paper and pie weights and bake for 15 more minutes. This is pre-baking the crust so it won't be soggy once your apple pie is fully baked. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes.

Step 14

Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C; gas mark 7).

Step 15

While baked crust is cooling, roll out the second pie crust on a floured work surface.

Step 16

Add the apple filling to the pie dish, making sure to compact the apples into the crust in the pie dish, as air pockets will cause a gap in between the apples and the top crust. Place the rolled out second crust over the top, then crimp the edges with your fingers to seal the top crust to the bottom.

Step 17

Whisk the egg and cream together in a small bowl, then brush that egg wash over the crust. Sprinkle raw sugar over the crust as well. Using a sharp knife, cut some slits into the top crust to give the steam a place to escape. Disregard if you are doing a pattern.

Step 18

Place pie on a baking sheet to ensure any bubbling filling doesn't burn onto your oven, then put in the oven on the middle shelf. Bake the pie for 15 minutes and check to see if the edges are browning faster than the rest of the crust. If so cover the edges with a crust protector or carefully cover the edges with a strip of aluminum foil.

Step 19

Reduce heat back to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C; gas mark and continue to bake for 40 minutes. The top should be golden brown and the filling bubbly.

Step 20

Let apple pie cool completely (2-3 hours) before serving to let the filling set up. Serve with vanilla ice cream.