Our destination for FALL this year is Vermont. Vermont is one of my very most favorite places on earth. Fall in Vermont means stunning colorful autumn leaves of the sugar maples, the smell of sweet wood burning in the fire places, harvest dances at the local town halls, harvest full moon walks, plaid flannel, men letting their beards grow out in anticipation of hard cold winters, crisp fresh apples, apple cider, apple cider doughnuts, and a delicious harvest apple pie. When I lived in Vermont it felt like I was living in a movie. Everything you do in the small towns of Vermont is special unlike any where else in the world. Schedule a trip to Vermont and spend at least a week exploring the winding Green Mountain roads, little villages (yes they are called villages in Vermont), visit the local general/grocery stores, take a hike or swim in one of the many swimming holes of the fresh rivers. If you are there in the fall don't miss having a sip of fresh apple cider and an apple cider doughnut. Yes, it really does look like the beginning of Newhart even now in 2015 thirty years later and it's just as enchanting as the song Henry Mancini wrote for the show. Go a head and listen. You will imagine yourself driving from small town to small town peeping at the rainbow of colors that cover the mountains this time of year.
I love this recipe for apple pie because it's a mix of both a pie crust and the taste of an apple crisp blended together in this delicious pie. I use locally grown apples which always taste best and are freshest. I was blessed this year to have a wonderful heirloom apple tree that is a remnant of the apple orchards that use to cover the small town of Orem, Utah.
Did you know? Many of the variety of apples where lost during prohibition because they didn't want people to make hard apple cider so the trees where cut down. So sad but if you are lucky and in Vermont and find a wild apple tree along the side of the road go and forage for some of these tasty old varieties that have long since disappeared from all most everywhere. You never know it could be along one of the roads (Hazens Notch Road) President George Washington sent the troops up to Vermont to build during the revolutionary war.
Harvest Apple Pie Recipe
makes one pie
Pie filling:
- 12 fresh apples
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
- pinch of sea salt
Peel and slice apples in about 1/2 inch slices. In a large mixing bowl add sugar and spices and mix. Toss apples in sugar spice mix. Set aside.
Pie Crumble Topping:
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of unbleached flour
- 1/2 cup of fresh cream butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
With a fork or your hands blend together ingredients until the mixture forms small pebbles. Set aside.
Add pie crust to 9 inch pie pan. Be sure to prick small holes in the bottom of the unbaked pie crust with fork. Add apple filling to the pan. Top with pie crumble topping.
For the star fall decorative topping I tool a small cookie/pastry cutter added stars around the edge of the pie crust then made the star fall pattern starting at one side over lapping the stars then slowly spacing them further and further apart to get the star fall effect. This would also be pretty with a tiny maple left cookie/pastry cutter to make a wind blown leaf decoration.
Place pie pan on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. The pie will be bubbling hot so use caution when taking out of oven.
Sweet Tip: Let pie set up for a least 20 minutes before serving.
