As fall is upon us, we thought it might be a good time to visit Vermont! Ahh, the beautiful colors of autumn leaves and the picturesque villages. However, since that isn’t possible right now, we celebrate this beautiful state with some pie. The apple is the state fruit of Vermont and Apple Pie is the official state dessert. Vermont is not alone in its love for apples, it is also the state fruit of Washington and New York. Specific varieties of apples also appear as the state fruit for four other states: West Virginia, Minnesota, Illinois and Rhode Island.
More than 150 varieties of apples are grown in Vermont and apple-picking is a popular fall activity. The most popular apple in Vermont is the McIntosh which accounts for about 50% of the total 1,000,000 bushels (or about 40 million pounds!) produced each year. Our Apple Pie recipe is a single crust pie with a crumb topping and a caramel topping. Enjoy!
Apple Pie
Ingredients
Single-crust 9 inch pie shell (recipe below, or use a premade one if desired)
Apple Filling
6 c apples, peeled, cored and sliced (McIntosh, Cortland or any baking apple)
1/4 c white sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/4 c flour
1/2 t salt
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Crumb Topping
1/2 c (1 stick) butter
1/2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 c oats (rolled oats best, but quick oats will work too)
Caramel Topping (optional, but encouraged!)
1 c caramel sauce (jarred sauce works fine)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Apple Filling
Combine apples with 1/4 c sugar, 1/2 t salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 t cinnamon and 1/4 c flour.
Crumb Topping
Cut butter into 1/2 c flour using a pastry blender or pulse in a food processor until the butter is the size of peas.
Add in cinnamon, brown sugar, salt and oats and mix until combined.
Assembly
Spoon apple filling into unbaked pie crust. Top with crumb topping, trying to cover all the apples.
Bake at 375 F for 55-60 minutes. About halfway through the baking, cover the sides of the crust with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
After taking the pie out of oven, pour on the caramel sauce if using. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before eating to allow the filling to set.
Single Crust for a 9-inch pie
1/2 c butter, chilled and cut into small (ie 1/2 inch) pieces.
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 t salt
3-5 T ice water (amount depends on humidity)
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour and salt. Add butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas (this takes about 20-30 pulses). With the food processor running, add the water through the feed tube 1 T at a time until the dough comes together. Flatten to a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll dough out to a 9 inch circle (it will be about 3/8 inch or 4 mm thick) and fit into pie pan.