The success of a dessert as simple as apple pie depends on using perfect ingredients: tart, flavorful apples like Sierra Beauty, good buttery pie dough, and just enough sugar to bring out the flavor of the apples. You can always make a double-crusted pie, but for something different, try this one with its crumb topping.
variations
• Add to the apples 1/3 cup dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, or apricots) soaked overnight in 2 tablespoons water or Cognac.
• Add 1/2 cup huckleberries to the apples before tossing with the sugar.
• To make a crisp instead of a pie, omit the dough, and add 1 tablespoon flour to the apples when tossing them with the sugar. Assemble and bake as above.
