Recipe Marta’s Crumble Apple Pie

RECIPE: MARTA'S CRUMBLE APPLE PIE

M arta is known for her wonderful pies and terrible casseroles, as well as speaking her mind and sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. She lives in a converted brick bank in downtown Green Valley, and has her closet in the old vault.

For a very long time, Marta made her pies completely from scratch, but she has reluctantly conceded that starting from premade pie crusts saves a great deal of time and hassle…and tastes basically as good.

Ingredients:

Raw single crust premade shell

1/3-1/2 c sugar, depending on tartness of apples

1/4 c flour

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1/8 t ground allspice

1/8 t ground cloves

1/4 t salt

4 cups (4-5 medium) apples, peeled, cored, and thin-sliced - Granny Smith are the best, but any firm, flavorful apple will do.

Topping:

1 c flour

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c COLD stick butter

Directions:

Leave premade crust on the counter to warm before unrolling, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Press crust into a pie dish, pierce with a fork thoroughly across bottom and sides to prevent bubbles (or use pie weights), and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.

Mix sugar, flour, spices, and salt.

Toss apples slices in mixture and fill pie dish.

Mix flour and sugar for topping

Use a cheese grater to shred cold butter into topping mixture and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut it into small, powdery crumbles.

Cover pie evenly with topping, patting it into place.

Bake 40-50 minutes, until crust is brown and filling is bubbling.

Tips:

Pre-cooking the shell prevents a gummy or tough bottom crust.

Cover the pie with aluminum at about the 20 minute mark to keep the topping from burning.

A pie crust edge shield can keep the browning more even across the pie.

A glass pie dish may require more time than a metal pie dish.

Allow to cool completely before serving for a firmer filling.

Serve with vanilla ice cream!