Happy Apple Pi Day!

For all of the math nerds and pie lovers, this weekend was made for you. In fact, I would like to dedicate this post to my brother-in-law, whose love of pie is legendary.  So much that he demands that I bake him his own pie any time we have a family gathering. And not standard lattice crust apple pie. Only crumb top apple pie.

In the last 5 months I have made at least 10 apple pies, each slightly different, with the goal of finding the perfect combination. 

A few key things I have learned along the way:

• Make sure you have minimum 3 different types of apples in your pie. I usually go for 4-5 with Granny Smith being the largest proportion
• Don't slice the apples too thin 
• Make sure the bottom crust is thick enough (this became an issue when I kept having to roll the crust for a normal 9" pie extra thin to get it to fit into my deep dish pie pan.)
• Regular crumb top is ugly. It's better to use a crumb top with oats, similar to what you would use on an apple crisp

Learn from my mistakes. And if you don't, make another pie. Everyone wins.

Also, please note that this recipe is for 2 pies. Why? Well, it's Pi Day and therefore there should be plenty of pie to share. Plus leftovers are quickly devoured. But most importantly, since my brother-in-law needs his own pie, I have to make at least 2 otherwise my sisters will complain.

Let's begin.

Roll out your pie crusts and place in deep dish pie pans. Refrigerate until you are ready to fill.

Make the topping and filling for the pies in separate bowls - this will make things a lot faster to put together when the apples are peeled. Each is basically flour, sugar, spices plus pecans and oats for the topping only.

Add the melted butter to the topping and mix until you have crumbly goodness.

Peel and slice the apples. What kind of apples? Good question. My brother-in-law insists that there be a minimum of 3 different apples in his pie, with the ideal of 6 varieties. I try to have a balance of tart apples and softer, sweeter apples. For this recipe I mixed Granny Smith, Pinata , Lady Alice, Jazz and Fuji apples. I have also had success with Golden Delicious and Braeburn apples, depending on what looks good at the grocery store.

Add the zest from one lemon and the lemon juice to the apples. This makes the pie nice and tart and keeps the apples from turning brown. After you have tossed the apples with the lemon juice, add the sugar and spice mixture to the filling and mix again.

Fill both crusts with half of the apple mixture

Top with crumb topping. Bake.

Enjoy!

Crumb Top Apple Pie

Adapted from The Complete America's Test Kitchen: Classic Apple Pie

Ingredients

• 2 recipes for 10" pie crust

Crumb topping

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Pie filling

• 18 medium apples, mixed variety, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4
• Zest and juice from 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Instructions

1. Roll out each pie crust into a 12-inch circle and fit into a deep dish pie pan. Pinch the edges to make a lovely zig-zag pattern. Refrigerate until you are ready to fill. 
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
3. In a medium bowl, mix up the topping using flour, pecans, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt and melted butter.
4. In a small bowl mix up the sugar and spices for pie filling using flour, granulated sugar, oats, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice.
5. Peel, core, and dice your apples, then mix with lemon zest and lemon juice in a very large bowl. Toss in the sugar and spice mixture for the filling, mixing well.
6. Evenly fill both crusts with apples, and crumble the topping mixture evenly on top.
7. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, then rotate pies and reduce temperature to 375 degrees. Bake an additional 35-45 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and crust is golden brown. Cool and serve at room temperature.

Yield: 2 pies