Apple Cruch Pie (serves 8)

Ingredients

1 refrigerated ready-to-bake pie crust (15 oz box)

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose fluor

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter, cut in small pieces

Filling

7 medium to large tart apples (about 3 1/4 lb) such as Granny Smith, Pippins or Greenings

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp all-purpose fluor

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Have ready a 9 inch pie plate and a baking sheet.  Place oven rack in lowest position in oven.  Heat oven to 450ºF.

Line pie plate with pie crust as package directs.  Flute or crimp edge.

Topping: Mix fluor, sugars and cinnamon in a medium bowl.  Cut in butter with pastry blender (or rub in with fingertips) until mixture forma moist, coarse crumbs that clump together easily.

Filling:  Peel, quarter and core apples.  Cut in 1/8 inch thick slices by hand (or with slicing disk of a food processor).  Put into a large bowls.  Toss with lemon juice to coat.  Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl.  Sprinkle over apple slices; toss to coat.

Layer apples slices in pie shell, mounding them higher in center.  Pat topping evenly over apples to form a top crust.

Place pie on the baking sheet to catch any drips.  Bake 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF and bake 45 minutes longer or until a skewet meets some resistance when center of pie is pierced (apples will continue to cook after pie is removed from oven) and topping is golden brown.  If topping is browning too quicky, drape a piece of foil over pie.  Cool pie completely on a wire rack before serving.

TIP: This pie is best served the day it's baked.