My Favorite Apple Pie

     Pie Monday is back!!! But wait. Have I ever fully explained how it began? After a couple of months writing this blog, I looked back and noticed that I had coincidentally made pie on most of the Mondays. But that's not the whole story. There must have been some subliminal force that compelled me to make pie on Monday, and I think I've just recently figured it out. I live in a dorm where we cook dinners for each other every night, and last semester, my night to cook was Tuesday. Since I had to work on Tuesday afternoons, and I also had to include a dessert with almost every meal, I would usually do as much work ahead of time as I could. So whenever I decided to make pie for Tuesday, I would actually have to bake it on Monday afternoon. Apparently, I got so used to this routine, that it followed me into the summer.
      Since I took a break from cooking six days ago, I just haven't felt like myself. This probably sounds completely bizarre to most people, but I missed baking so much, I just couldn't stand it anymore. I physically needed to get my hands in some dough. I'll add that to my list of things only a foodie would say. I'm back at school now, about to start my junior year, but somehow I feel almost the same as I did as a freshman. So there I was last night, thinking that everything still felt new, and that for various reasons beyond my control, I'm not going to even see most of the people I spent most of my time with over the last two years. To calm this mild anxiety, I needed something familiar. I not only needed to feel the pie dough in my hands, but I needed to be standing in the dorm kitchen on a Monday afternoon, baking pie for all my roommates again. So that's what I did. I went to the cafeteria on Sunday night and endured the confused looks on the lunch ladies' faces, as I bought six green apples in the middle of everyone else's dinner time. I know these things seem weird to the outside world, but to me, it's just another Pie Monday, and I'm really starting to find comfort and contentment in that.

INGREDIENTS:
For crust:
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick of cold butter, cubed
about 3 tablespoons cold water

For filling:
6 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg

For topping:
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup whole oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 stick cold butter, cubed
   
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray a glass pie plate.
2. Make the bottom crust first. Use a food processor or a handheld pastry cutter to cut the cubes of butter into the dry ingredients until the texture looks like little pebbles. Then add the cold water just until the dough is able to stick together without sticking to you. Work it together with your hands, then roll it out on a floured surface, and fit it into the pie plate. It's just the perfect amount of dough for the bottom of a 9 inch pie.

For much more detailed tips and tricks for making pie crust, click here.

3. Peel and slice the apples into relatively thin wedges. Then put them in a big bowl, and toss them with the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Now add them to the pie plate.

4. The crumble topping for this pie is just a slight variation on this one I use for my other fruit pies. Instead of walnuts, I think pecans go better with apples. Prepare the crumble by hand, in much the same way as you did the crust. First, mix the brown sugar, flour, oats, and nuts together, and then use a pastry cutter or two butter knives to incorporate the butter until you get that same kind of texture.

5. Use your hands to spread the crumble topping evenly over the top of the pie. Use it all!
6. Bake at 350 for an hour, until it's golden-brown on top.

7. Try really hard to wait and let it cool for an hour before slicing it. Store leftovers in the fridge.

 I feel much better now that I've properly celebrated Pie Monday. Enjoy!