Apple pie/crumble

Apple pie, the classic dessert and apple crumble the ultimate comfort dessert, all rolled into one. I am a huge fan of pumpkin pie, berry pie, pecan pie, but my husbands favorite is apple. So once a year I make him one and I make him a big one in my 10" deep dish pie pan. I use a method I got from cook's illustrated where you pre-cook half the apples to caramelize them, then put the other half in fresh so it isn't all mushy. It makes a really yummy pie and crumble.

We only had one pie crust left in the freezer and all of it was needed for the bottom, so instead of having a lattice top, I decided to make a crumble top. So if you want to make a regular pie, make a lattice top to put on the pie. If you want to make just a crumble, skip the crust on the bottom and just make the crumble topping.

for the filling: apples, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, butter, and crust

peel your apples

and slice half of them

add those to a pan with butter, sugar, a dash of salt, and lots of cinnamon

cut the other half into cubes

toss with lemon, more sugar and cinnamon, and vanilla

half fresh, half caramelized, now let the caramelized apples cool completely

for the crumble: oats, flour, sugar, butter, and salt

mix the dry ingredients together

cut butter into small pieces

blend butter into dry until you have pea sized pieces

for the pie: roll out your dough with plenty of flour

press into pie pan, and chill (I used our 30 degree mud room)

toss the fresh and cooled caramelized apples together

add to baking dish

top with crumble (or lattice)

bake in a medium hot oven

cover crust if needed (I don't have a shield big enough for my 10" pan)

let cool at least 30 minutes on a rack

serve with vanilla ice cream

we manage to eat half the pie amongst the five of us

Apples are rad!