Fruit pies are easily in my top 10 favorite desserts, and if I am forced to pick just one, I think a solid apple pie reigns supreme. Spring is about here but that does not mean apple pie is forgotten and relegated to only the fall and winter months or -God forbid- just for the holidays. With or without ice cream it offers so much deliciousness and texture that we make it year round.
Impatient? Skip to the recipe.
Classic apple pie is a double crusted one. Meaning you have the bottom crust that the fruit mixture goes in and another crust that goes on top. That’s a very good pie and it has its place on our table. This version though, adapted from the Tartine: Ac Classic Revisited book is a wonderful variation. Dutch apple pie has one crust on the bottom and instead of another crust on top it sports a crumbly streusel mixture.
The topping adds a ton of flavor and texture while also allowing for more evaporation from the filling. This makes it tastier and the pie holds together better. Win win in my book. If you want to make a classic apple pie, double the crust and top it with that instead of the crumble.
In these pictures I served it with homemade salted caramel ice cream. It’s a damn perfect match. However, vanilla ice cream works great of course as does whipped cream. Diana cannot imagine having it unless it is warmed up and topped with vanilla ice cream. For me? Most of the time I just enjoy it plain at room temperature, but that’s just me.
Dutch Apple Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 225 gr All-purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 150 gr Butter very cold
- 100 gr Water ice cold
Crumble
- 100 gr All-purpose Flour
- 40 gr Pecans chopped
- 75 gr Sugar
- 20 gr Rolled oats (old fashioned oats)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 100 gr Butter very cold
Pie
- 900 gr Apples peeled, quartered and sliced 1/4 inches thick or so
- 2 tbsp All-purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar Omit if your apple butter is too sweet and double if you are not using apple butter
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 Lemon, juice and zest
- 2 tbsp Butter Cold and diced into small cubes
- 100 gr Apple butter Optional
Instructions
Make the pie crust
- In a bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar. Grate the butter using the coarse side of a box cheese grater into the flour.
- Gently distribute the butter shreds into the flour mixture. Since the butter is shredded (that's why you need to make sure it is very cold!) it is very quick to distribute. Then rub the mixture between your fingers until you have a coarse crumble-like mixture. If you squeeze it in your palm it clumps together. This should take no more than about five minutes.
- Add the water and mix it in with a fork or your hands until the dough comes together. It does not have to be perfectly smooth yet. Transfer it to a floured surface, form it into a disk that's about 5 inches in diameter.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour so it can rest and be easier to roll. You can keep it for a couple of days in the fridge or wrap it with a few more layers and freeze it.
- To roll it, take it out of the fridge onto a floured surface. If it is too hard let it sit out for 10 or 15 minutes until still pretty cold but more pliable. Roll it to a circle that is about 2 inches larger than your pie dish and about a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Always roll from the center of the dough out to the edges in smooth movements. Rotate the dough, add a little flour if needed. flip over, flour it and roll. Place the dough in your pie dish, trim the edges a bit so that it is still 1/2 inch over the edge of the dish. Tuck the excess back under and pinch all around to make a rim.
- You can now park this, well wrapped in plastic in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for much longer. Always ensure it is very well wrapped in the freezer or else it can absorb some funky odd aromas.
Make the Crumble
- In a bowl, mix everything except for the butter very well. Grate the butter using the coarse side of a box cheese grater into the flour mixture, or dice it into small cubes and add it.
- Gently distribute the butter shreds into the flour mixture. Then rub the mixture between your fingers until you have a coarse crumble-like mixture. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days if you are not using it right away.
Fill and Bake
- Heat your oven to 350 F.
- Mix all the filling ingredients together very well to coat the apples. Remove the pie crust from the fridge and prick the bottom with a fork a few times. Fill it with the apple mixture doing your best to fill it evenly and to fill in any gaps so that the mixture will cook and compact evenly.
- Spread the crumble mixture on top (you might not need all of it). Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for about 60 to 90 minutes. It should be bubbling and has a nice golden brown color. Let it rest on a rack for at least one hour before slicing and serving.
