Saturday Stirrings ~ Dutch Apple Pie

I had one year of college left when Hubs and I got married.  We had been married less than six months when one evening after getting home from class around 9PM, he said to me, “Do you know what I’m in the mood for?”  I looked at him warily and he said, “Home-made apple pie.”

There is still a little disagreement between the two of us as to my exact words and tone of voice when I answered him, but since this is my blog, we’ll go with my version.

“Honey”, I said. “I have never made an apple pie in my life and I am very tired. If you want apple pie, you’re going to have to make it yourself”.

I do not recall any eye-rolling or sarcasm at all.

So, Hubs made himself an apple pie.  He called his mother for her pie crust recipe, went to the grocery store and bought all the ingredients; then followed Betty Crocker’s apple pie recipe to the letter.

And you know what?

It was the best apple pie either of us had ever eaten; and he has been making all the apple pies for our family ever since for the past 22 years.

But I’m not sharing that recipe this week.  Sorry.

This Thanksgiving, I made the apple pie. While I have since learned how to make home-made pie crust since that fateful evening so many years ago, I am not too proud to use the Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust when I don’t think the end result will be compromised and such was the case this year.

Since the apples and topping are really the stars in Dutch apple pie, I used the Pillsbury Pie Crust for the bottom.  Here’s the recipe:

Dutch Apple Pie

• 1 9 inch pie crust (Pillsbury works fine)
• 8 medium apples (we use Cortland)
• 4 tbsp. lemon juice

Streusel Topping

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Core, peel, and slice apples. Place apples and lemon juice in a bowl, mix well.
3. Mix brown sugar, white sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Cut in butter with pastry blender, then add chopped walnuts.
5. Add half the mixture to the apples and mix to coat.
6. Place apple mixture into crust, then evenly sprinkle the rest of the struesel crumbs on top.
7. Put foil around the edge of the crust. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes; remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes.

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