Dutch Apple Pie

Many people don't know what a Dutch Apple Pie is, which is the crumb topped apple pie.  It's super easy to make and so much better than a store bought one!  I made this particular recipe yesterday morning and enjoyed it at a BBQ that afternoon!

Ingredients:
1 9 inch, deep-dish pie crust

Filling:
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 TBS lemon juice
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
5 1/2 c. peeled, sliced apples
3 TBS all purpose flour

Topping:
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter, at room temperature



Preheat your oven to 375.  Bake the thawed pie crust for about 5 minutes. Just until it begins to bubble.  You don't want to cook it all the way.  Remove the crust from the oven and set it aside.  While the crust is in the oven, being peeling and slicing your apples and place them in a large bowl.  A question I hear a lot is "How many apples does it take to make five and a half cups?" as well as "What kind of apples are best for pie?"  I will answer both questions here!  First of all, I find that Granny Smith apples make the best pie.  The flesh stands up well to the heat and doesn't turn to mush and the tartness of the apple is well balanced with the sugars to make a great tasting pie.  The apples mellow as they bake and the pie is not sour at all!  So, pick 3 average sized (about the size of your fist) apples and that should be adequate. It usually comes out to almost exactly the right amount.  Plus, if it is a touch under or over it isn't going to hurt anything. 

So, back to our pie.  Peel,core and slice your apples.  I usually cut mine into quarters, core them, and slice them on the small side so I can get a better coating of the rest of the ingredients on the apples.  As you cut them up, go ahead and toss them into the bowl.  After that, pour the lemon juice in (yes, concentrate is perfectly fine) and toss the apples to coat them.  It will keep the apples from turning.  Then measure out the rest of the ingredients for the filling as listed and put them on top, then mix the apples with it until they are all coated well and spoon it into the pie crust.  Arrange the apples and filling so that you have a fairly even layer across the pie shell. 

Now to make that delicious crumbly topping.  Place all the dry ingredients in to a medium sized bowl and cut the butter into slices on top.  Take a fork and mash it through until the mixture is crumbly.  This is going to take a little work, but it is so worth it.  It may seem like there is not enough butter there to mix in, but there is.  Just be patient and you will get there. 

Spread the topping out over the top of the apple mixture, making sure it all has a coating, and put it into the oven for about 45 minutes.  Make sure that you bake the pie on a cookie sheet to prevent any juices from bubbling over and spilling in to the oven.  After 45 mintues, give the pie a look and make sure it isn't wet looking anywhere and is evenly browned.  If it isn't evenly browned, or wet looking on top, just give it a few more minutes  or turn it. 

You can either let this pie cool, eat it hot out of the oven with or without ice cream, but once you taste it, you will never by another frozen apple pie again!