My blue ribbon apple pie

So for those who don't read my family blog, I entered an apple pie contest today and won first place. The recipe consists of different parts of different recipes that I found and then tweaked to my liking. The crust is Barefoot Contessa's, the filling is from a recipe on Food Network that got rave reviews except I used different apples and added a few more spices and a little more brown sugar, the streusel is from a caramel apple recipe except I added extra spices and pecans, and the idea for the spiced whipped topping came during one of my sleepless episodes (how does anyone sleep when they're pregnant?!). Anyway, the judges loved it. Enjoy!

Apple Pie with Pecan-Cinnamon Streusel and Spiced Whipped Cream

Crust:

12 Tbsp (1 ½ sticks) very cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 Tbsp ice water

Filling:

6 to 8 variety apples, peeled and sliced (about 5 cups)
Juice from ½ of a lemon
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Streusel topping:

2/3 cup crushed cinnamon graham crackers
¼ cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
½ cup pecans
6 Tbsp cold butter, diced

Whipped Topping:

1 cup whipping cream
2 1/2 Tbsp powdered sugar
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp vanilla

Crust: Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Set second pie crust aside.

Filling: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Fill pie crust with apple mixture.

Streusel topping: Combine graham crackers, brown sugar, and flour in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add pecans and diced butter, pulsing until the butter is the size of peas. Sprinkle over apples after apples have been placed in the pie dish. Top pie with latticed pie crust and flute the edges. Brush edges and top of pie with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 Tbsp water).

Fold foil strips around edges of crust and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 40 minutes or until apples are bubbling and crust is browned.

For whipped topping, mix whipped cream with a stand mixer fitted with a wire whisk until soft peaks form. Continuing to whisk, gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form. Top with pie once pie has cooled to room temperature.