We are getting closer to Fall in my neck of the woods and the grocery stores are already lining up all varieties of apples, some old and some new. There are so many things to do with apples, the obvious one is baking with them. I have friends who make delicious applesauce from them. I love fried apples along with any cut of pork chops or roasts. They are so good when they take on a savory taste and not so much sweet with sugar as expected. You can stuff them with a variety of things, either sweet or savory, then bake and serve as a side to any any entree.
My all time favorite apple are Honeycrisps. I bought a bag the other day and made an Apple Crumb Pie. I usually make a regular 2 crust apple pie, but stepped outside the box of my normal. I used oatmeal in my crumb mixture and it gave it a nice texture. I also thought afterwards that some chopped walnuts would have been really good too. Check out my recipe below, it's pretty good even if I do say so myself!
APPLE CRUMB PIE
INGREDIENTS
1 pre-made 9" pie crust
7-8 medium sized Honeycrisp apples
1 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
pinch of salt
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 Tablespoons of cold butter,
DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Lay out the pie crust into a 9" pie plate. If crust is too big you can trim it, or roll it under and crimp with a fork. Prick the bottom with a fork in a few spots, set aside. Wash, peel and core the apples. Slice apples and toss in a large bowl with the lemon juice to coat them so they don't turn brown. Add 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tsp. cinnamon, cornstarch and salt. Toss together until all apple slices are coated.
In a medium size bowl, add flour, oats, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and butter. With a pastry blender or fork, combine all until most of it looks like large pea size shapes.
Scoop the apples into the crust, be sure not to get all the juice or the crust will get too soggy. Spread them out evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet, put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remember all ovens and temperatures are different. When pie is done, set on a cooling rack.
Serve warm or cold with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a drizzle of gooey caramel sauce. Enjoy!
