It’s National Pie Day! Not to be confused with Pi Day, which is coming up soon. Any reason to make pie is fine by me. I made this a few times during the holiday season, but the perfectionist in me never got a satisfactory picture.
It’s interesting how food cues my nostalgia. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I love cooking. This pie is a family tradition. It’s now a part of our Thanksgiving tradition as well. My sister makes it every Thanksgiving when she has dinner with friends. My dad always made it the night before, and I remember him every time I make this pie. I see him leaning on the counter in his Budweiser apron, waiting for the pie to finish baking. He would watch something on t.v., usually an old sitcom or some stand-up comic. He loved watching things that made him laugh. The peanut butter topping is the best part. Anytime I mention to my sister that I made an apple pie, she immediately asks if it has this topping. And my answer is always, “of course!”
Adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours
By Dorie Greenspan
This recipe fits a deep dish pie. If you're using a regular size pie plate, reduce recipe by a quarter.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Roll out pastry and fit into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Flute the edges. Chill the pie plate in the refrigerator until ready for use.
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Peel, core, and slice the apples into ¼ inch slices. Put the apples in a large bowl and add the sugar, lemon zest, tapioca, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Toss well.
- In a medium bowl combine all the crumb topping ingredients with a pastry blender until crumbly. Set aside.
- Remove the pie plate from the refrigerator. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly over the bottom of the crust – this will help keep it from getting too soggy. Turn the apple mixture and the juices into the crust. Pat it into an even mound (apples will heap over the top of the crust). Dot the apples with the bits of cold butter. Sprinkle all the crumb topping over the top of the apples, forming an even layer.
- Bake the pie until juices bubble up through the surface, about 70 minutes. Check the pie after 30 minutes. If the crumb topping is turning too dark, loosely cover the pie with foil. Let the pie cool on a rack until just barely warm or room temperature
yum! I love the idea of making a peanut butter crumb topping. Must give this a try the next time I make pie!