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American Beauty Apple Pie

DIRECTIONS

The day before you plan to bake the pie, peel, core, and slice the apples 1/8 inch thick. You should have 9 cups of sliced apples. Toss the sliced apples with the lemon juice, water, and sweetener in a medium-size bowl. Cover the bowl of apples with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Prepare the bottom and top crusts.
On baking day, preheat the oven to 350° F.
Combine the spices and flour in a small bowl. Stir 1/3 cup of the liquid from the apple slices into the flour and spices to make a smooth mixture. Pour this mixture back over the apples and toss well to thoroughly coat them. Pile the apple slices with their juices into an unbaked pie crust. Cut the butter into 4 or 5 pieces, and dot them over the apples.
Prepare the Egg Wash and brush it onto the rim of crust. Cover the pie with the top crust. Seal the edges by pressing lightly with the tines of a fork. Use the dull side of a small knife to trim off any pastry extending beyond the edge of the pie pan.
To prepare the rosebuds, leaves, and stems from the pastry trimmings, roll the pastry trimmings out very thin. Use the point of a small knife to cut 6 rectangles measuring 2/3 inch by 2 inches for the rosebuds. Cut 12 ovals with pointed ends measuring 1-1/2 inches to 2 inches in length for the leaves. Use some of the remaining trim to make a thin, 1/8-inch-wide rope that measures 12 inches in length. Cut the rope into 6 lengths to form 6 stems.
Use the top of the knife to press a leaf pattern on each of the ovals.
For the rosebuds, flatten a rectangle between your thumb and forefinger. Start at the right side of the rectangle and fold the top corner down to form a loose triangle. The top of the triangle now becomes the center of the bud, so angle it straight up and wrap the rest of the rectangle around it loosely, plumping and shaping the bottom to resemble a rosebud.
Brush the top crust with Egg Wash. Dip each stem, bud, and leaf in the Egg Wash, drain the excess, and attach them decoratively to the crust.
Make 6 small slits towards the center of the top crust for steam to escape during baking. Place the pie on a baking sheet in the preheated oven. Place the pie on the lowest shelf of an electric oven or directly on the floor of a gas oven. Bake for approximately 1-1/2 hours. After an hour, check the apples with a toothpick through the steam slits. The apples are done when they have some resistance, but still feel tender.
For the best appearance on the plate, let the pie cool thoroughly before serving; however, this pie is most delicious hot from the oven, topped with French vanilla ice cream.