In a food processor, pulse the flour, butter, lard, salt and sugar together until you get pea sized pieces of the fat.

Pour in the liquid all at once and pulse until the dough becomes a large ball.

Turn it out onto a floured surface and shape it into a ball. Cut the ball in half and shape each half into a disc and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel and core a dozen apples. Cut each apple into eight and toss them in a large bowl with the lemon juice.

Sprinkle over the flour, spices and sugar. Stir it all gently so that each piece of apple gets coated with the sugar and flour mixture.

Place a large piece of parchment paper on a board or on the counter. Dust it with flour and put one of the discs of dough on it. Dust the top of the dough with flour as well.

Put another piece of parchment paper on top and begin rolling out the dough. As the dough gets pressed out, lift off the parchment and dust with flour. Turn the dough a quarter turn and use the bottom piece of parchment to lift the dough up so you can dust the underside of the dough with flour. Use the parchment as an extension of you hands so you touch the dough as little as possible.

When the dough is about 12"-13" in diameter, roll the dough onto the rolling pin. Unroll the dough onto your pie dish and gently fit the dough inside the dish with the excess hanging over the edge of the dish.

Brush the edge with beaten egg and pour in the apples. Once you get the first layer of apples in, you will need to start strategically placing the rest of the apples so that you can fit the maximum amount in without the apples falling off of the mound.

Roll the second disc of dough out the same way you did the first. Roll the dough onto your rolling pin and place it over the apples and edges of the bottom layer of dough.

Gently press the bottom and top layer of dough together. Using a knife, cut off the excess dough. Place your index fingers 1 cm (1/2") apart on the edge of the dough and push the dough up with your thumb between your two fingers. Repeat around the circumference of the pie to create a crimped edge.

Brush the top with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse granulated sugar (optional).

Bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes and then turn the heat down to 350 degrees F for 50 minutes to an hour or until you hear the filling bubbling and the apples are fork tender.