Maida Heatter's Free-Form Apple Pie Recipe

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
2. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Add water and toss with a fork until pastry holds together.
4. Shape pastry into a ball and flatten into a disk.
5. Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
6. Melt butter in a 12 skillet over medium heat.
7. Increase heat to high and add sugar and brandy.
8. Stir in apples and cover and cook 3 minutes, stirring apples twice.
9. Uncover and add raisins and cook apples, stirring until tender and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes more.
10. Cool apples completely.
11. Stir in nuts.
12. Heat oven to 425.
13. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry into a 14 inch circle.
14. Transfer pastry to a large cookie sheet.
15. Arrange apples on pastry, leaving a 2 to 2 1/2 inch border around the edge.
16. Fold edge of pastry over apples.
17. The pie shell should be about 9 inches in diameter.
18. Bake 15 minutes.
19. Reduce oven temperature to 400 and bake 30 minutes, until crust is golden brown.
20. Melt preserves through a sieve into a cup.
21. Drizzle over filling.
22. Cool on cookie sheet.
23. Transfer to serving platter when cool.