It’s fall in Colorado; the trees are changing, the leaves are falling and light coats are needed. Kids are outside, boots have made an appearance and most importantly, ovens are baking.
I dusted off my experienced Southern cookbook and whipped up a family favorite, Apple Crumb Pie. What I admire about The South is its ability to keep food simple. With minimal ingredients, lots of love and family & friends filling the kitchen, you have all you need.
I suggest getting out to your local tree farm and picking apples. What better way to really enjoy your pie than with handpicked apples? (Plus, it doubles as bragging right. “Yeah, I picked these Apples.”) Let’s get to it, I’d of course love your feedback, but trust me on this. Your crowd will be enchanted.
Apple Crumb Pie
Pastry Crust
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
3/4 cups shortening (I LOVE baking with shortening)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
Sift flour and salt into bowl. Reserve 1/3 cup flour. Cut shortening into remaining flour with pastry mix, mix until small lumps form.
Mix 1/3 cup flour with water to form a paste.
Add this to the flour/shortening mix. Mix thoroughly and lightly until small lumps form and mixture can be formed into a ball.
Place wax paper on smooth surface and place dough ball on top. Cover with another sheet of wax paper. Roll with short, light strokes to 12 inch round and 1/8 inch thickness.
Place lightly in pie plate, easing into angle at base.Trim 1/2 inch beyond outer edge of plate. After filling and upper crust are in place, crimp this edge as desired.
Pie Filling
5-6 apples (I like a mixture of apples – red delicious, granny smith, mcintosh)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 tbsp milk
Lay apples sliced very thin into pie pan lined with pastry. My family likes to leave the Apple skin on, if this isn’t your preference, make sure you’ve skinned your apples.
Sprinkle sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon mixture on tops of apples. Reserve some mixture for the top of the pie.
Place brown sugar and flour in a bowl, cut butter into this until crumbly.
Pour this over apples, and on top, pour milk and sprinkle remaining sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon mixture.
Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until done.
Jacqueline Leigh 