French Apple Pie

To be truthful, I have never really liked apple pie; I know, that sounds totally un-American, but it’s just never been my thing. Actually, two-crust pies in general just don’t really appeal to me. So, when I worked at the Stacker Cafe all those years ago, Phyllis would often make French apple pie. While I usually declined to have a piece because of my distaste for apple pie, I finally took one for the team. Turns out, I really liked it. It’s amazing what a crumble topping can do! Of course, I altered my recipe to include a little booze … imagine that!

1 - 9-inch unbaked pie shell
6 cups McIntosh apples (about 6 apples)
2 Tbsp. rum or brandy
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch or flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
dash ground cloves

French Crumb Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 425°. Slice apples and place in a large bowl. Add the brandy or rum and toss to coat the apples. In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch (or flour). Add the apples, brown sugar and spices. Spoon the apple mixture into the pie shell. For the topping, in a medium bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar. Cut in the butter. Stir in the nuts. Sprinkle topping over apples in pie shell. Bake for 50 minutes or until the topping is golden and the apples are tender.