Apple Crumble Rumble
October 2, 2008

It’s autumn, and local orchards are busy harvesting a rumble of ruby Delicious, McIntosh, Empire, and Cortland apples. Crisp weather is the perfect time to get the gang out for a picking party, warm up the oven, and treat everybody to a fragrant, freshly baked pie. The easy Apple Crumble Pie topping makes for extra special eye appeal and texture. The pie requires only a bottom crust, which can be prepped a day ahead to save time. Serve slices of warm pie with generous chunks of Vermont cheddar cheese and maple walnut ice cream. Yummm– autumn never tasted so good!

Apple Crumble Pie
In a prep bowl combine one and one-half cups white flour and a large pinch of salt. Add one-half cup Crisco shortening and blend with a fork until mixture is crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons of water and bind the mixture. If more water is needed, add slowly, in very light dribbles. Gather dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, chill one hour. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into a 14” round. Transfer dough to a 10” glass pie dish, fold overhang under.  Crimp edges decoratively.  Pierce bottom of crust all over with fork.  Freeze crust 15 minutes (or up to 24 hours). Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line crust with aluminum foil.  Bake until golden and set 10 minutes.  Cool.

Apple Filling
Peel, core, and thickly slice 5 pounds of any combination of McIntosh, Cortland, Empire and Delicious apples. Place apples in prep bowl and sprinkle 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice over the apples. Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in non-stick pan over medium high heat. Stir in one-half cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of clove. Add apples and sauté until coated and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of apple cider and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch; add to apples and bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Cool completely.
 
Crumble Topping
In a prep bowl combine three-fourths cup of white flour with one-half cup of sugar, one-fourth cup packed brown sugar, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small pieces, and a pinch of salt. Using clean fingertips, rub all ingredients together until moist clumps form. Place filling in pre-baked crust, sprinkle topping over apples. Bake at 375 degrees until topping is golden brown, approximately 40– 45 minutes.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008