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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 400ºF.

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 400ºF oven and immediately lower the temperature to 375ºF. 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.