Friday, December 17, 2021

Raatjes Pie Eating Team

On a Saturday where we picked 2 buckets of small pumpkins, a bucket of tomatoes (and canned them), a bucket of pears (and canned them), why not a bucket of apples and make an apple pie? Nicholas says he loves apple pie... he has yet to prove this statement. It's a good thing Andy loves pie - of all kinds - and is happy to eat any pie that Nicholas leaves behind. Our apple tree has fruit on it for really the first time ever. I'm struggling to tell when the apples are ready and even what kind it is. I mean... we planted a Honeycrisp and a Red Roma but which is which? I have no idea. We just test apples and sit under the tree to eat them. This pie was an easy pick since I had one premade crust in the fridge already. I'm not a fan of making my own pie crust, it rarely goes well for some reason. This pie turned out wonderful - the topping is the best part - other than the apples that grew on our tree. Nicholas? He ate the apples but his dessert stomach was full so he couldn't eat the rest... good thing Andy is here to take one for the team.

Apple Crumble Pie

Homemade Pie Crust or Store Bought
5 large apples, cored, peeled, and sliced into 1/4-inch slices* (approx 8–10 cups total – use a variety for better flavor, such as Pink Lady or Fuji and Granny Smith)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Crumble Topping
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Instructions
Make the filling: In a large bowl using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir the apples, lemon juice, flour, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla extract together until thoroughly combined. Set filling aside as the oven preheats; this time allows the apples to begin letting off their juice.
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (if you made the entire pie dough recipe– you can freeze the other half of the dough at this time). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9×2 inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Spoon the apple filling into the crust, leaving some of the liquid in the bowl– don’t want all that in the pie. Use a small paring knife to trim excess dough off the edges. Flute the edges.
Make the crumble topping: In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and walnuts. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the butter. The crumble topping will be thick and crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.
Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.
Allow the pie to cool for 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired. Cover pie leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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