An Apple-Raspberry Crumb Pie for Springtime
Why Kimberly Atkins Stohr says you should never fear pie crust
But Marissa, you say, it’s April, we should be eating strawberries and rhubarb pie, not this pie that feels like some ghost of seasons past.
Ach, you are probably right, although I haven’t yet seen rhubarb at any of the various supermarkets I seem to frequently frequent.
Truth is, I search inside my fruit crisper bin turned up a strange collection of apples, and I thought a spring clean out was in order. Raspberries were added for brightness and because apple-raspberry crumble reminds me of being at my in-law’s in England and that’s, yes, a nice thing. My in-laws are lovely
Why pie? My guest this week on the podcast is Kimberly Atkins Stohr, one of the hosts of the great #sistersinlaw podcast, who also happens to be a lawyer and journalist and what better guest for this week? She not only offered clarity on the Murdoch case, where Dobbs and related laws could be headed, but she offered some important thoughts about Supreme Court Justice “Rules Apply to Thee But Not to Me” Thomas. And, on top of it all, she is a pie-making goddess in her own right and shared a delicious secret to her pies.
You can listen to the podcast here:
Notes:
My crust is made with half white and half whole wheat flour. I like the texture and nutty flavor the whole wheat flour adds. You can do all white flour if you prefer!
I use a variety of apples, always do. I highly recommend it if you can because it creates a happy medley of textures and tastes. (I typically don’t peel them either…)
Apple-Raspberry Crumb Pie
Makes 1 9” pie
What You’ll Need
For the crust:
3/4 cup (90 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (60 grams) whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (113 g) cold butter, cut into 16 pieces
1/4 cup ice water
For the crumb topping:
1/2 cup (85 grams) brown sugar
1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
8 ounces (113 grams) butter, cut into 16 pieces
For the filling:
5 cups (about 4 large apples) sliced apples
6 ounces (170 grams) pint raspberries
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
3 tablespoon lemon juice
zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 pinches of ground ginger
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 pinch salt
What You’ll Do
About 3 hours before you want to bake the pie, make the filling:
Core and slice the apples into 1/4” slices. I leave the peel on if I’m not serving fussy company.
In a large bowl, put the apples, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, corn starch and salt and toss to combine. Stir occasionally over the next 3 hours. Set the bowl aside and make the crust so it has time to chill before rolling it out.
Make the crust:
Whisk together the flours and salt. Add the butter and toss it in the flour. Cut the butter into the flour using two knives or just get your hands in there and pinch the butter and toss it in the flour and pinch and toss until the butter pieces are about the size of peas. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the cold water (do not add the ice!). Use a fork to gradually mix the water into the flour mixture. Mix until the entire mixture is moistened and looks like wet sand. This will take about a 30 seconds longer than you think it should. Be patient. Bring the mixture together and shape it into a flat disk. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
While the crust is chilling, Make the crumble:
In a medium bowl, put all the ingredients for the crumble. Using a similar technique to the crust, pinch the butter and toss it in the flour mixture. The difference here is you need to blend the butter into the mixture. You don’t want any streaks of butter. Get your hands in there! Slowly the mixture will begin to resemble crumble. The crumble should be a variety of shapes and sizes, marble-size and pea-size. Refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble the pie.
When it’s time to bake the pie:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a piece of foil or parchment (to prevent a messy clean-up in case the pie bubbles over).
Dust a large pastry board or counter with flour. Roll the dough from the center outward, stopping 1” before the edge of the dough. Give the dough a quarter turn, roll again from the center outwards and repeat, turning and rolling, until the dough is around 1/8” thick and about 11 inches in circumference.
Fold the dough in half and place it in a pie plate. Unfold the dough. Tuck under any overhanging dough to form a crust, then crimp the crust with a fork, or do something pretty by pinching the dough with your fingers. Chill for 20 minutes.
Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Fold the raspberries into the apple pie filling and then pour the mixture into the pie crust. Press down gently so the fruit is evenly distributed. Sprinkle the crumb over the top of the pie.
Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for a further 35 to 45 minutes or until the apple mixture is bubbly and the crumble is golden brown. If at any point the crumble is getting too brown and the apples aren’t yet cooked, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pie.
Leave to cool on the counter. Do not leave the pie to cool on a windowsill, especially if you live near Jellystone Park.
Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, or both if you’re my son — but I don’t think I really needed to tell you that.
Thoughts on Justice Thomas? Thoughts on the injustice of Bosco having an empty plate? Share them here.
I feel desperately sorry for Bosco's empty plate, and have not a whit of pity for Thomas.
Absolutely inspiring!