Fall Baking

Have I mentioned that I love the fall?!? :-)  I ventured to the apple orchard on Labor Day to purchase a gallon of fresh apple cider, a bag of apples and an apple cider slushy.  Well, last night that peck of apples was still sitting in my kitchen just waiting to be made into something delicious.  So I grabbed our family cookbook and got to work on making my mom's french apple pie recipe.

One of the gifts that I had received at my bridal shower from my mom ended up being the BEST tool ever when it comes to slicing/peeling apples.

Source

Seriously, best gadget ever! Jam the apple on the prongs and then start turning the handle.  Before you know if you have a perfectly peeled, cored, and sliced apple.  I could not believe how quick it was.  Hubs was even amused/intrigued by my handy dandy gadget!  

In fact, it was so fast that I decided to make two apple pies....one for home and one for work.  Can we say breakfast and lunch?! lol

TA DA!!!!

Pardon the crappy pictures.....had to take pictures with my stupid Blackberry.  Oh and the topping looks a little out of whack because I covered it while it was still hot and then dropped my notebook on top of it on my way into work.  Oops! lol  But I promise, it tastes super yummy!!!!

My Mom's French Apple Pie

Pie:

6 cups of sliced apples (I usually use tart, tangy apples like Granny Smith)

3/4 c Sugar

1/4 c Flour

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 Pillsbury Pie Crust (found in the refrigerator aisle)

Pie Topping:

1 c Flour

1/2 c Brown Sugar (packed)

1/2 c Butter (or margarine)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Unroll pie crust and place into pie dish.  Place sliced apples into a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl mix the sugar, flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  After dry contents are thoroughly mixed, pour over the apples.  Toss (or mix with spoon/hands) until all apples are coated with dry mixture.  Pour the sliced apples into the pie dish (it will be a heaping pile of apples).  In the small bowl (that was used for the dry ingredients) add flour, brown sugar and butter.  Use a pastry blender (or a fork) and mash until contents resemble dry crumbs.  Pour crumb mixture over the top of the pie.  Cover crust with aluminum foil so the crust does not burn.  Bake at 425 degrees for 50 minutes.  With 10 minutes left cover the top of the pie with foil so the top does not burn. 

Voila!  Be sure you steal a slice while the apple pie is still hot! And if you are like Hubs, top with a big scoop of ice cream. :-)

Have a fabulous day!