Peel and slice the apples into large slices and place in large bowl.
Add the sugar, cinnamon and salt to the apples and toss together until the apple slices are well coated. Set aside for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Roll out the bottom pastry to a size about 2” larger than the pie plate.
Place the bottom pastry in the pie plate and sprinkle with grated cheese (optional)
Add the apples, scraping the bowl to get all of the juices and sugar into the pie.
Dot the pie all over with butter.
Cover with the top crust and cut a few holes in the crust to allow it to vent.
Whisk the egg well and brush it all over the pie crust. If you are using decorated pieces of pie crust place them on top of the egg washed crust and brush them with the egg too.
Sprinkle with Demerara sugar
Place the pie on the center rack of your oven and cook at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook for a further 40-50 minutes. The pie is done when the juices are bubbling up through the holes in the crust.
Recipe Notes
Note: if you look at the pie and the juices are just starting to bubble another ten minutes is needed!