Streusel top for Apple Pie

Apple Pie

It’s autumn, which means two things: politics and a new crop of apples. So as we are bombarded with robo-calls, negative ads and endless campaigning, we can shut it all out with a forkful of apple pie, that more promising and delicious of American inventions. We can also take heart that election season comes to an end, but apple pie endures. You can freeze a pie for months, and have a delicious nibble on Thanksgiving, or even next summer, at your July 4th picnic.

Although apples are available all year, new, fall crop varieties such as Rhode Island Greenings, Newtown Pippin, Stayman, Winesap, Idared and Northern Spys make the tastiest pie. For the most part you have to buy these apples at farm stands and local orchards, though the occasional supermarket and grocery store may stock some.

What makes these less familiar, non-commercial apples so superior is that they haven’t been grown and treated for long-term storage. The skins are thin, just barely resisting your teeth; the taste is fresh, the bite juicy. The flavor and consistency follow through when the apples are baked under a crust. Most mass-produced, supermarket apples are meant for eating out of hand. They’re sturdy and have eye appeal, they’re sweet, but flavorless, and often pulpy, rather than crunchy. Not pie material.

Apple pie filling is simple and straightforward. You’ll need about three pounds of fruit for each 9 or 10-inch pie; peel, core and slice the apples, sprinkle with juice from about half a large lemon, then toss with about a half cup of sugar and a small amount of starch (flour or cornstarch) to keep the natural fruit juices thick and sumptuous. Season the fruit for autumn-ish warmth with cinnamon and perhaps a pinch of nutmeg. Add chunks of butter if you like it lavish.

If you use wonderful apples, that’s all there is to it. There’s no need to overdose with robust spices such as cloves or allspice, no need for more sugar or for enhancers such as raisins, chopped nuts or distinctive fresh fruits such as raspberries.

It’s the pie crust that confounds more than a few people, even good cooks. It takes some practice to get it right, but isn’t impossible to master. A few tips are in order, first, use as little liquid as possible to form the dough; this helps keep the crust flaky. Handle the dough with a light touch, to keep it from becoming rubbery. If you make the dough in a mixer or food processor, let it rest for at least 30 minutes to allow the flour gluten to settle down. Good pie dough should be soft and supple. Keep it that way by being gentle when you roll it out.

If the thought of making and rolling dough is too stressful, you can always use a store-bought bottom crust and cover the top with streusel or, eliminate the dough underneath entirely, when of course, a pie becomes a crisp. In either case, if the apples are good to begin with, the prospects for dessert are outstanding. So too, if you decide to break from tradition and cook a Marlborough Pie, which is basically apple pie with custard baked inside a bottom crust.

Marlborough Pie, pride of New England, doesn’t freeze well but you can freeze regular apple pies for up to a year. Thaw the pie, then reheat to crisp the crust in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes.