"Apple Crumb Pie," aka Sharing the Love at Teatime Pie

Now that I'm getting more comfortable with Rose and her processes, I've begun to deviate from the directions...

a) Because, let's be honest, I just don't have time once a week to devote an entire day to baking. [There's work, family, and the occasional pug rescue.........

b) I like to experiment and I've never been good at following rules.

I guess that last part could have been b and c, but I think experimenting and not following rules make a nice combo. Clearly, Trixie likes to experiment as well.

In any case, I decided to follow the order of the pies in the Pie and Pastry Bible, so the next one up was "Apple Crumb Pie." Plus, Rose's description sounded delish: "A thick layer of caramelized apples is set in a crisp crust topped with a crunchy streusel." Who doesn't love streusel?

Quick note, for those with inquiring minds: Streusel is German for something that is scattered or sprinkled.

This pie was easier to tackle than the previous two- no real top crust and I relaxed on the entire process, eschewing multiple chillings of the bowl, the butter, etc. (I do always chill the assembled pie crust dough before rolling out and again before baking.)

Filling: Once again with the macerating of the apples and the cooking down of the juices and butter. I used Gala apples and decided this will probably be my last apple pie until fall because the apples are losing their yummy crispness and getting a tad mushy. I also threw caution to the wind and added a cup of fresh frozen cranberries that had been languishing in my freezer partially because I didn't want to waste them and partially because I didn't quite have enough apples.

Topping: The streusel was easy to make and I love a bit of buttery crunchy cinnamony goodness. The addition of walnuts was a nice touch.

Crust: I added 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour we picked up at the historic Bale Grist Mill in St. Helena. (Great place to visit and learn about the origins of sayings like "grist for the mill," "fair to middling," and "nose to the grindstone.") The whole wheat gave a nice body to the crust. The only downside was that I had been unhappy with the overbrowned crust I wound up with in making the Open-faced Designer Apple Pie so I opted not to prebake this time and regretted that decision when the bottom crust was a tad uncooked. Lesson learned.

Verdict: This was a really good pie. The whole wheat crust was still flaky and delicious and the apples kept their shape without staying crunchy. I brought the pie to work for afternoon tea and got rave reviews. Although what's not to love about homemade when you're not expecting it? I tried to get everyone to be brutally honest but they were too busy eating. Perhaps I'm a bit too critical. I thought it rocked, but would have preferred more flavorful apples (my fault) and a better cooked bottom crust (again, my fault). So, Rose, this is an awesome pie! MmmWah!