We have six apple trees.  Some are more suited to this climate than others.  We usually get a good crops of Jonathans, Bramleys (my favourite) and Transparents.  There’s a young standard McIntosh that gives us a few apples to eat right off the tree, and a Cox’s Orange Pippin that graces us with a few beautiful apples each fall.  We also have an incredibly prolific Gala tree, that really doesn’t like our wet springs.  Some grow into perfect specimens, but mostly they go to the livestock.

There are years that we have hundreds of pounds of apples.  We store them covered with feed sacks, and usually they are still good for using in the early spring.  I try to get the transparents into sauce and pies quickly as they are ready at the start of August and only last a few days before getting mushy.  The rest keep beautifully.  Consequently, I don’t need to cook them up right away.  We still can have our own fresh apple pies in mid-winter.  Always a treat!

This topping is so quick, and gives you the best of both worlds, something like an apple crumble made into a pie.

Click here for printable version.

Makes One 9” Pie

Ingredients:

Crust:

½ a recipe of Basic Pastry (or a full recipe and you could make two pies)

Filling:

4½ cups of thinly sliced apples (cored & peeled) – use a good baker like Jonathans, Bramleys, Pink Lady, Sunrise etc.

1 T lemon juice

1 c sugar

3 T cornstarch

¼ t salt

½ t cinnamon (optional)

Topping:

¼ c brown sugar

½ c flour

⅓ c butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°

Slice the cored and peeled apples into a 4 cup measure.  You should have enough to fill it with a bit extra.

Put the apples into a bowl and toss with the lemon juice.

In a small bowl, whisk togther the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon (if using).

Pour the sugar mixture over the apple slices, and mix well.

Roll out the crust to fit a 9” pie plate, trimming into a circle about 1” bigger in diameter than the inverted pie plate.

Lay the crust in the pie plate.

Fill the pie crust with the sugared apples, using your fingers to fit the apples smoothly into the crust.

In the bowl you used to mix the sugar & cornstarch, cut the butter into the flour and brown sugar until no pieces of butter are larger than peas.

Sprinkle over the top of the apples, right to the edge.

Roll the extra pastry towards the apples, and crimp using your fingers.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 375° and continue cooking until the apple filling is bubbling, about another 40 minutes.

Tip:  Put a square of parchment on a pizza pan and place the pie in the center of the pan for cooking.  Makes for easy clean-up should anything bubble over.