FOR LATER:
1 stick cold salted butter (? cup, 4 ounces, ? pound)
Ingredients for the French Crumble:
1 cup all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
? cup cold salted butter (1 stick, pound)
? cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
Directions for the Crust:
If you bought frozen pie pastry, thaw it according to the package directions. If you made your own pie pastry, it’s all ready to go.
Prepare your crust by rolling it out in a sheet large enough to cover the bottom of your 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan and extend up the sides. (This piece of pie crust should be approximately 17 inches long and 15 inches wide.)
Fit your pie crust in the pan and press it down so it’s snug. Then set the pastry-lined cake pan aside and make your pie filling.
Directions for the Filling:
Mix the white sugar, flour, spices, and salt together in a bowl.
Prepare the apples by coring them, peeling them, and slicing them into a large bowl. Toss the apple slices with the lemon juice. (Just dump on the lemon juice and use your impeccably clean fingers to toss the apple slices—it’s easier.)
Sprinkle the contents of the small bowl with the dry ingredients on top of the apples and toss them to coat the apple slices. (Again, use your impeccably clean fingers.)
Put the coated apple slices in the pan with the pie crust. You can arrange them symmetrically if you like, or just dump them in as best you can. There will probably be some leftover dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl. Just sprinkle those on top of the apple slices in the cake pan.
Here Comes the Butter:
Cut the cold butter into 4 pieces and then cut those pieces in half. Place the pieces on top of the apples just as if you were dotting the apples with butter.
Directions for the French Crumble:
Sprinkle the flour into the bowl of a food processor with the steel blade attached.
Cut the stick of cold butter into 8 pieces and add them to the bowl.
Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter.
Process with the steel blade in an on-and-off motion until the resulting mixture is in uniform small pieces.
Remove the mixture from the food processor and place it in a bowl.
Sprinkle handfuls of the French Crumble over the sliced apples in the pan.
Bake your Apple School Pie at 350 degrees F. for 50 minutes, or until the French Crumble is golden brown on top.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: To test for doneness, insert the tip of a sharp knife into the pie. If it pierces the apple slices, your pie is done.
When your pie is done, remove from the oven and place your baked Apple School Pie on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack. Let it cool for 30 minutes to an hour before you cut it into squares.
Yield: At least 16 squares of mouthwatering pie that can be easily removed from the pan with a metal spatula and placed in dessert bowls (or in the dessert section of a school lunch tray).
Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you serve this pie warm, you can top it with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. It’s delicious that way!