How To Make The PERFECT Apple Crumb Pie

The Fall season is an ideal time to bake an Apple Pie. Over the years, through trial and error I have compiled some easy techniques that will ensure your pie, with homemade crust mind you, comes out perfect everytime. The one pictured here is on my kitchen counter cooling as I write and the whole house smells divine.

A pie is only as good as the fruit inside. Start with flavorful, ripe apples. This pie was baked with Jonathan Apples from the Pulford Apple Tree Orchard in Tehachapi. Not only are they delicious but they bring back great memories of our recent getaway with dear friends.

THE CRUST: to avoid dough sticking to everything, your soft and liquid ingredients must be cold. Always keep your Crisco in the fridge so it's ready for pie baking. Water must be refrigerated and iced...Don't over mix the dough. You should be able to see flecks of butter...Use parchment paper to keep the dough from sticking. OK, ready?

* heat the oven to 450

* in your Cuisinart add 2 C flour, 1 tsp. salt, 2/3 C chilled Crisco, 2 T chilled butter. Pulse 10 times.

* add 5-6 T ice water. Pulse until dough forms into a ball

* flatten dough into a disc and place on a piece of floured parchment paper. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough. Cover with another piece of parchment and roll out to be slightly larger than the pie plate you are using.

* peel off the top piece of parchment. Slide your hand under the bottom sheet of parchment and quickly flip your dough in the plate. Once it's where you want it peel off the top piece of parchment.

There's nothing worse than having your dough stick to the rolling pin and make a mess. COLD INGREDIENTS and PARCHMENT PAPER prevent this. You can buy Parchment Paper at the $1 store.

* trim the crust with kitchen shears so it hangs no more than 1/2 inch over the plate. Design the edges as you see fit, pressing with your thumb or making ridges with a fork.

TIP: to avoid a soggy crust it is important to prebake the crust. I bought a bag of little white rocks from the $1 store or you can use beans.

* cover the crust with a generous piece of foil. Fill the pie with rocks to weigh down the crust and keep it from rising. Bake for 12 minutes, remove rocks and COOL. Meanwhile prepare your filling.

FILLING: Mix

6 large, tart apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

2/3 C sugar

5 T flour

1 tsp cinnamon

* TIP: sprinkle flour lightly on the cooled crust. This keeps it from getting soggy as it bakes.

* place the filling in the crust

CRUMB TOPPING Mix until crumbly

2/3 C flour

1/2 C sugar

3/4 C cold butter

Sprinkle topping on pie covering all of the apples.

TIP: Use a pie guard to cover the edges so the crust doesn't burn. They look like this and can be purchased at Williams Sonoma and home stores.

Bake your pie for 10 minutes at 450*. Turn oven to 350* and bake 50-60 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

Hope these tips help you in your pie baking. Enjoy these pics from the apple orchard.