This pie has the same appeal as a SoCo-and-lime shot; tart and bright flavors enveloped by brown-sugary, buttery, cinnamon-y warmth. The difference is that you can enjoy it while wrapped in a cozy blanket on the couch, alongside a mug of tea, and without the nasty hangover.
There is quite a bit of preparation involved before the pie is actually assembled and baked as a whole. The crust is parbaked to ensure crispness (major pet peeve: juicy filling that creates mush underneath), the apples are cooked in butter and sugar until slightly soft and juicy, and the crumble topping is cobbled together. Don’t be put off by the steps; they make it easier to prepare in advance, or to divide and conquer if you have a helper.
I adapted this recipe from one featured in the New York Times, from Ronald M. Silver and Jen Bervin’s Bubby’s Homemade Pies.
1/2 recipe pate brisee (for one pie shell)
Crumble Topping:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tb unsalted, cold butter
Apple Filling:
- 4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into eighths
- 3 tb unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 2 tb Southern Comfort
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Roll out dough to fit a 9″ pie pan; line pan with dough, and tuck edges under. Line pie shell with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, remove paper and weights, and bake 10 minutes more, or until edges begin to turn golden-brown. Remove to cooling rack, and start in on the apples.
Melt 3 tb butter for the apples in a large skillet. Add apples and cook over medium heat, until they begin to soften. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Remove apples from heat and pour sugar mixture over them; stir with a wooden spoon to coat the apples. Pour Southern Comfort over apples, and stir to combine. Pile apples into parbaked shell.
To make crumble topping, whisk together flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut butter into 1/2″ cubes; add to flour mixture, and cut in with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles sand, with some larger lumps. Spread crumble evenly over apples in pie shell. It’s important that all of the apples are covered, to keep them from drying out.
Put pie into oven on bottom rack, baking for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. After 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 40 minutes, or until filling is bubbling up around crumble topping. Let cool at least 1 hour before serving.
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