Apple Cranberry Crumb Pie

A delicious fall and winter pie that looks as festive as it tastes. The bright red tart cranberries complement the flavor of the two types of apples used in this recipe.

Julian's Apple Cranberry Crumb Pie

While I make it with a crumb topping, you can substitute a top pie crust if you prefer. The key to success is using the Granny Smith apples for flavor and texture, and a sweeter variety that will break down and act to hold the filling together. Of course, pre-cooking the apples is essential as once you get them to the desired doneness level with just a little crunch left in them, they won't get softer when you bake them in the crust. I typically serve it along side my pumpkin pies on Thanksgiving. 

Deep Yet  Holds its Shape

Ingredients

1 prepared pie crust

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon lemon zest from 1 medium lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice (optional)
2.5 pounds Granny Smith apples
1 pound McIntosh or Gala apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice

6 ounces fresh cleaned cranberries 
   (about half of a typical bag)
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Crumb Topping Ingredients

1/3 cup butter, direct from the refrigerator
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Instructions

Crust: Prepare your pie crust or use store-bought according to my prior post here.  Line your glass or metal pie plate with the bottom crust. Prick the crust generously with a fork on the bottoms and sides. (Note: I use a deep dish Pyrex glass pie plate for this recipe, but it's not huge like some of the new designer pie dishes. If you are purchasing pre-made crust, only a pie plate about 1.5 - 2 inches deep will work. This recipe calls for a crumb topping. But you can replace with a top or lattice crust if you prefer.) 

Oven: Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 475F degrees. Let the baking sheet get hot while you continue to prepare the filling.

Seasonings/Starch: Mix granulated sugar, flour, corn starch, lemon zest, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and optional allspice together in a small bowl.

Crumb Topping: Cut the butter into small pieces and return to refrigerator. In a medium bowl, toss together the reaming topping ingredients except for the nuts. Toss in the cold butter pieces to coat well. Using a hard bladed (not wire) pastry blender/knife, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms small pieces and resembles coarse sand. (Alternatively you can give it a few quick pulses in a food processor.) Stir in the chopped walnuts if using. If using whole walnuts as I often have on hand, simply use the pastry blender to chop the walnuts right into the topping mixture. Set aside. 

Apple Pie Filling: Peel, core, and slice apples to 1/4-inch thickness. Add apples to a large microwave safe bowl that will fit into your microwave oven. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and toss to combine. Toss in the seasoning/starch mixture and turn until apples are coated. Cover loosely with a clean towel and place in microwave. Microwave the apples on high for 10-12 minutes, stopping and gently turning the apples 2-3 times during cooking. They should be softened and bendable but still have a little bite when you taste them. This step will set the pectin in the apples and keep them from becoming mushy during baking. It will also tell you how much juice you can expect the apples to expel so you can adjust accordingly so your pie is not soggy. 

Cranberries: While the apples are cooking, wash the cranberries and discard any that are soft or damaged. In a medium bowl, toss the damp cranberries in a quarter cup of sugar. 

Combine and Cool: Remove the apples from the microwave and stir in the cranberries. Set aside to cool to room temperature (about 30-45 minutes) gently stirring several times. Once cooled, turn them gently one last time to determine how much juice has been released and is accumulated in the bowl. If there is a large pool of juice in the bottom of the bowl, drain off all but a tablespoon or two. Ideally, the apples will be coated with a thickened sauce and very little will pool in the bottom of the bowl. 

Prebake the Crust: While the apple mixture cools, line the pie crust with a large piece of foil, pressing it gently against the bottom and sides and over the edge of the crust to protect it during baking. Fill the foil-lined pie shell with pie weights, dry beans or a pie chain to hold it down during baking. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven to a trivet or cooling rack. Wait 10 minutes, then remove the pie weights and foil from the crust. Reduce oven temperature to 375F degrees.

Assemble and Bake: Spread apple/cranberry mixture into the pre-cooked dough-lined pie plate. Spread on the crumb topping covering the filling evenly. Place pie in the oven on the heated baking sheet and bake until topping is light golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil to stop continued browning and bake another 20-30 minutes until the pie is starting to bubble up thick juices.

Cool and Serve: Remove the pie from oven and let pie cool on wire rack to room temperature a minimum of 4-6 hours. Pie can hold sitting on the counter (not refrigerated) overnight for service the next day. Cut into pieces and serve with vanilla ice-cream. (Note: Do not attempt to serve warm as it will not hold its shape until it has fully cooled. If you want warm pieces, reheat them individually in the microwave just prior to serving.)