Sierra Beauty Apple Pie

Name: Sierra Beauty Apple Pie
Yield: Makes one 9-inch pie
Ingredients: 2 pounds Sierra Beauty or other crisp, tart apples; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1/2 cup almonds, walnuts, or pecans; 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 8 tablespoons cool unsalted butter, cut in 1/4-inch pieces

By Alice Waters

November 20, 2013

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.

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