This is a great old-fashioned recipe out of the Midwest, which my Mom made for our family. You can use any apple which is in season, crisp, and good for baking. I am using my Fuji Apples from my garden that I recently wrote about.

I like to pile my thinly sliced apples fairly high in the pie pan, if you see you can use more apples than the recipe calls for, go ahead. Remember to save room for your crumb topping.

APPLE CRUMB PIE

5-6 Large Apples Plain Pastry Recipe (see below) 1 Cup Sugar, Divided 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon 3/4 Cup Flour 1/3 Cup Unsalted Refrigerated Butter

Peel apples. Cut in half, core and further cut into thin slices. Arrange the apple slices in slightly overlapping circles in a 9" pastry lined pie pan. Sprinkle apples with 1/2 cup sugar mixed with the cinnamon. Sift remaining 1/2 cup sugar with flour, cut in butter with two knives until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Bake in hot oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Take pie out of oven, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, wait until oven temperature is constant at 350 degrees. Bake further for approximatley 40 minutes, or until apples are tender. Apple Crumb Pie is best served warm, and with a dollop of French Vanilla Ice Cream.

PLAIN PASTRY RECIPE

9 to 9 1/2" Pie Pan 1 1/2 Cups Flour 1/2 Teaspoon Salt 1/2 Cup Shortening 4 to 5 Tablespoons Cold Water

Mix all ingredients together in a ball. Using a floured surface, floured rolling pin and hands, knead just enough for dough to stay together and roll out in a round circle 3" to 4" larger than the diameter of your pie pan. Fold pastry circle in half and carefully lift and place in your pie pan. Adjust your pastry dough in pie pan and up sides. Cut off any excess dough with a knife. Crimp pie edge with your fingers to make a nice fluted edge.