Posted by artsycook

I play with this a bit in the way of the dried fruit but this pie has an incredible crunchy topping with sweet icing that, which is a refreshing surprise when married with the firm apples. Not soggy or mushy but piled high! Our favorite!

1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup dried cherries (any kind)
6 large apples (prefer Roma/Gala mixed ),
    peel and core and sliced thin (about 1/8-inch)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon apple pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup half-and-half (or light cream)

Crumble Topping
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup toasted fine chop pecans or walnuts
3 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons butter
1 recipe Single crust pie crust (or use recipe below)
1 recipe vanilla icing (below)

Prepare Pastry. Roll out and place in a 9-inch pie pan and line the edge with double thick foil. Bake in a 450 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 to 6 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, place the dried fruit and our boiling water over it. Let stand 5 minutes and drain.

Meanwhile, slice apples in food processor very thin and mix them in a bowl with the dried fruit. Mound the mixed fruit in the baked pie shell. It will be high, but arrange the fruit to fit, wedging slices of apple here and there.

In another large bowl, combine sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, apple pie spice and salt. Stir in half and half and pour over the fruit carefully.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/3 cup flour, nuts, brown sugar and nutmeg. Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs the size of peas. Sprinkle it over the pie filling.

Cover the edge of the pie crust with heavy foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and the fruit is tender. Cool for 45 minutes on a wire rack.

Drizzle with icing and store in the refrigerator. Bring to room temp before serving. ( I personally like it cold and even frozen too! ) If you like apple pie, this version will knock your socks off! Its a higher pie than most apple pies, and the streusel topping has an icing on top of that, giving a sweetness that is also unexpected. If you cant find dried blueberries or cherries, double the amount of cranberries.

Vanilla Icing
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir all together and add a little more milk to make a drizzling consistency.

Pie Pastry
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons water

In a bowl, stir flour and salt together. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs the size of peas. Sprinkle water, 1 tablespoons at a time, and toss until moistened. Form a ball and on a slightly floured surface, roll the dough to a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim to 1/2 inch beyond the edge and fold under and flute.

~Lisa Stapor