Gene's apple crumb pie - country living

8 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 cups Plus 2 T unsifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Granulated sugar
½ teaspoon Salt
¾ cup Vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons Plus 1 t water
Crumb Topping (recipe follows)
6 Granny Smith apples or other tart apples
¾ cup Firmly packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
Milk
1 tablespoon Confectioner's sugar

Directions

1. Prepare pie crust: In large bowl, combine 2 C flour, the granulated sugar, and salt; with pastry blender or 2 knives, cut shortening into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stirring gently with fork, gradually add 3 T water, until stiff dough forms. Add more water, if necessary. Form dough into two balls, one slightly larger than the other. Wrap and refrigerate larger ball.

2. On lightly floured waxed paper, roll out smaller ball of dough to an 1 1-inch round. Invert pastry into 9-inch pie plate; remove waxed paper and fit pastry into pie plate. Refrigerate while preparing topping and filling.

3. Prepare Crumb Topping; set aside. Peel, core, and coarsely chop apples. In large bowl, combine chopped apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and remaining 2 T flour; mix well. Transfer apple mixture to pastry-lined pie plate, mounding apples slightly at the center.

4. Heat oven to 375'F. Place baking sheet or piece of aluminum foil on the lower rack or floor of oven to catch crumbs. On lightly floured waxed paper roll remaining ball of dough into a 12' inch round. Invert pastry onto apple filling and remove waxed paper; press pastry edges together and trim even with rim of pie plate. With small knife, make eight 1-inch slits, randomly, in top crust of pie to allow steam to escape.

5. Lightly brush top of pie with milk; pat Crumb Topping all over pie. Bake pie 30 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350'F and loosely cover pie with aluminum foil to prevent over browning. Bake pie 40 minutes longer. Cool pie on rack at least 40 minutes. Before serving, in small bowl, combine confectioner's sugar and remaining 1 t water to make glaze; drizzle glaze over pie and serve.

Crumb Topping: In medium-size bowl, combine 1 C unsifted all-purpose flour, ⅓ C sugar, ½ t ground cinnamon, and ¼ t salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut ½ C (1 stick) butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Briefly rub mixture between fingers to blend in butter; squeeze some mixture together to form larger crumbs, if desired.

Country Living/June/92 Scanned & fixed by Di Pahl & <gg>

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