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Apple: Easiest Apple Pie

Source of Recipe

Family Circle Holiday Cakes & Cookies, 12/00


List of Ingredients

Single Piecrust

CRUMB TOPPING:
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup bleached all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter -- melted

FILLING:
2 1/2 pounds firm tart apples
such as granny smith, northern spy, pippin
or golden delicious
2/3 cup granulated sugar
or packed light-brown sugar, or a
combination of both
2 tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
ice cream or slices of sharp cheddar
cheese -- optional


Recipe

Roll dough out for single piecrust pie to 12-inch circle; line 9-inch pie pan. Make standup edge; crimp. Chill while making topping and filling. Topping: Mix sugar and flour in bowl; stir in butter. Set aside for 5 minutes. Use fingertips to break the mixture into 1/4- to 1/2-inch crumbs. Position oven rack in lowest level of oven. Heat oven to 400�F.

Filling: Peel, halve and core apples. Cut the apples into 1/2-inch dice. Place the diced apples in a bowl; add the sugar, flour, ground cinnamon and grated lemon zest; toss well to combine. Spoon the filling in the dough-lined pan, mounding it slightly in the center. Dot the filling with pieces of butter; sprinkle the crumb topping over filling to cover.

Place pie in the 400�F oven and immediately lower the temperature to 375�F. Bake the pie for about 40 minutes or until the crust and crumb topping are baked through and a deep golden brown and the filling is gently bubbling. Place the pie on a wire rack to cool. Cut the pie into wedges and serve alone (Malgieri's preference) or with a scoop of ice cream or slices of sharp cheddar cheese, if desired. Makes: one 9-inch pie.