I bought a beautiful bag of apples today and made an apple crumb pie. We recently had visited my daughter in South Carolina and I couldn't believe the difference in taste of fresh apples compared to the ones I get in Florida. I guess shipping apples to Florida takes a few days and the apples most likely are picked a bit sooner so they can be shipped before they spoil.
I used a plain pie crust, poked it with a fork to prevent the pie crust from bubbling up out of shape. I baked the shell (empty) for about 5 minutes. This prebaking before adding the apple filling prevents a soggy bottom crust.
My basic apple pie filling is
Five or six apples, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch
1/2 cup sugar, granultated or half brown and half granulated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons of water or lemon juice
Mix the apple filling ingredients well with a wooden spoon . You can also cook this mixture on the stove for 2 to 5 minutes and it makes the apples a bit softer. I usually do not do this, but I like it either way.
Pour the apple filling into the partially baked pie shell and top with a crumb topping. See crumb topping recipe below.
Crumb Topping
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar (granulated sugar is "white" sugar)
3/4 c flour and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix with a fork until crumbly or use a food processor to mix just till a crumbly mixture forms.
Bake pie in 375 degree preheated oven for about 30- 45 minutes or until bubbly and light brown. If the outer edges start to brown too quickly, place thin strips of foil over pie crust edges only.
