I love birthdays! It is the one day of the year where everyone you know, from the people you love most to that co-worker that just drives you bonkers stop for a brief moment and acknowledge the fact that you were born. My husband gives me a really hard time about it, but at every single job I have ever held, I get a list of everyone’s birthdays and they’re favorite dessert and I bake it. I make it from scratch, with love, no store bought shortcuts. In my mind it’s more meaningful that way. That and I just love to bake – hence my pleasantly plump physique!
Now I have never been a fan of fruit in pies. I like my fruit cold and crisp, not warm and soggy, but last year I had to bake an apple pie for a co-workers birthday. I scoured the web for the perfect apple pie recipe and I found one that even I absolutely love! It’s by Paula Deen and it should come as no surprise that it contains about 10lbs of butter, so it’s a good thing I only make it once a year.
Crunch Top Apple Pie
By Paula Deen
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate
Ingredients
Paula’s Perfect Pie Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cold
12 tablespoons butter, (1 1/2 sticks) cold and cubed
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup ice water
Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of salt
3 1/2 cups peeled, chopped cooking apples
1 16-ounce jar applesauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, chopped into small pieces
Crunch Topping:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
Dash of salt
1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Pie Crust:
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt and sugar. Add the shortening and break it up with your hands as you start to coat it all up with the flour. Add the cold butter cubes and work it into the flour with your hands or a pastry cutter. Work it quickly, so the butter doesn’t get too soft, until the mixture is crumbly, like very coarse cornmeal. Add the ice water, a little at a time, until the mixture comes together forming a dough. Bring the dough together into a ball. When it comes together stop working it otherwise the dough will get over-worked and tough. Divide the dough in half and flatten it slightly to form a disk shape. Wrap each disk in plastic and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. On a floured surface roll each disk out into a 10 to 11-inch circle to make a 9-inch pie.
Filling:
Line a 9-inch pie pan with half of dough. Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the apples, applesauce, and lemon juice. Spoon the apple mixture into pie pan and dot with butter. Cut remaining crust into strips; arrange in a lattice design over top of pie.
For crunch topping:
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Using a fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over top of crust. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for about 45 minutes, or until crust and topping are golden brown.
Yield: 2 (9-inch) pie crusts