Fried Apple Pies

Preheat the fryer. In a sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the apples and
saut? for 2 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, 1/4 cup sugar, and
brown sugar. Continue saut?ing for 1 minute, stirring constantly to
dissolve the sugar. Add the water and lemon juice. Bring the liquid
up to a boil. Add cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water. Whisk
the vanilla and slurry into the liquid. Reduce the heat to a simmer
and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the apples are soft. Remove from
the heat and cool completely. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour,
sugar, salt and baking powder, together. Cut in the lard until it
resembles coarse meal. In small bowl, whisk the egg and milk
together. Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, working
it to make a thick dough. Break the dough into 12 equal portions. On
a lightly floured surface, roll the dough pieces into thin rounds,
about 5 inches in diameter. Put 1/4 cup of the mixture in the center
of each round, fold over and crimp the edges with a fork. Fry the
pies, two to three at a time, in the hot oil, until golden brown.
Remove from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Powder the pies
with powdered sugar. Lay the pies on a platter and serve with vanilla
bean ice cream. Garnish with drizzle of caramel sauce, powdered
sugar, and fresh mint.

Yield: 12 pies