Apple Pie with streusel almond topping

September and October being apple picking season here in the US, we went apple picking and stocked up on apples as usual.  When we first moved to the US,  I tried Apple pie that I bought from a store bakery…but was not very impressed with the taste.  For one, I was still not very comfortable having a strong cinnamon flavor in my dessert. And number two, I had tried a ‘store bought’ apple pie!  And then one day I had a nice warm home baked apple pie at a friend’s place and I instantly fell in love with it!  The warm freshly baked apple pie is intoxicating  to your senses…the cinnamon smell, the flaky crust, the soft apples and if you have a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream to go with it , then its just pure bliss!

This is an apple pie recipe that I found in ‘Betty Crocker’s recipe book’ which by the way has some amazing dessert/baking recipes. I was interested in trying it because of the almond topping – wow , I thought one more texture to go with the varying textures within the apple pie ! I made slight changes to the crust recipe to fit my 10 inch pie dish appropriately. I also added ‘all spice’ in addition to the cinnamon. The first time I made this apple pie I happened to send some over to our next door neighbors and you know what, I got a call from her instantly saying ” Hon, you never should have shared anything as delicious as this! Next time I get the aroma, I will be at your doorstep”.   🙂

So now this apple pie is a staple at our home every fall – my son just loves it and now that he is a growing teenager he can pretty much finish the entire pie by himself! 🙂 What I have learned over the years making this pie is that the type of apples that you use makes a huge difference to the flavor and texture of the pie. So definitely use a locally available variety that is tart and soft like Granny Smith. Here in Connecticut where I live I prefer using Mcintosh variety from the local farm. It cooks easily and as a result you get a pureed texture pie which I love!

This recipe makes a 8 inch round pie

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1  cup All purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup  plus 1 tbsp unsalted butter (about 6 1/4 tbsp) - cold and hard (just out of the fridge)
About 2-3 tbsp ice cold water
pie dish(8 inch)

For the Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsps all purpose flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder plus 1/4 tsp All spice powder (or you can just use 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder)
a pinch of salt
6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (about 6 medium size apples -use slightly tart and soft variety)
Topping :
1/2 cup All Purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds

Method:

Heat oven to 425 deg F.(or 220 deg C)

Take a medium size bowl.  Add the flour and the salt.  Take the butter and cut into small cubes with a knife and add to the bowl. Then use your hands to mix the butter pieces with the flour.  Now slowly add the ice cold water 1 tsp at a time slowly and continue to mix the butter and flour mixture with your hands slowly (do not knead very hard). Once you feel the dough is forming stop adding the water ( be cautious about how much water you add – you should be adding only around 2 tbsp maybe a little more). Then form the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes.  (Alternatively, you can also use a mixer to form the dough but I prefer my hands)

After 45 minutes, get the dough out and get it on top of a floured surface (kitchen counter or a wooden floured board).  Now slowly start rolling the dough onto a circular shape constantly flouring and lifting and turning it taking care not to break it.  But in the event it does break, just patch up again and continue. Roll a circle slightly larger than your pie dish. After rolling carefully lift the pastry sheet and place on top of pie dish. (If it breaks, just patch it up). Try to press pastry to the sides of the dish and make a fluted shape on the edges.

Place the pie dish in the oven at 425 F (220 C) for about 5 minutes(until you feel it is dry when you touch it).

In a large bowl, mix all the filling ingredients except the apples first. Then add the apples and mix until the apples are well coated with the mixture.  Spoon this into the partially pre-baked crust.  Now for the topping, mix all the topping ingredients except the almonds with a fork until its crumbly.  Sprinkle this topping all over the apple mixture to cover it evenly.

Now place the pie dish in the oven at 425 F for 15 minutes uncovered first.  Then take it out and cover with a foil and again place it back for another 15-20 minutes until apples are teder and juice is bubbly.  Now take it out and sprinkle the sliced almonds all over the top of the pie evenly and again bake uncovered for about 3-4 minutes until the almonds are nice and toasty.   Take the pie out of the oven and let cool uncovered for about 30 minutes and then dig in while it is still warm! 🙂