Apples

It's fall here in Michigan, and apples are in abundance. My parent's have 15 or 20 apple trees on their property, though I've never bothered to try to pick or eat any of them - they seem to fall to the ground as soon as they are ripe and the wasps get them. I often sit on their patio to read or just stare out at the yard, and every once in a while, I'll hear a "THUMP" as an apple falls from a tree and hits the hard ground. Around dusk, groups of white-tailed deer will take a stroll through the orchard, stopping to munch the apples on the ground.

I took a trip to Grand Rapids this weekend to visit my old friend B. Saturday, we went to Robinette's Apple Haus, an apple-picking farm just outside of G.R. We didn't pick any apples - I hate the bugs and that rotten-apple smell that always come with apple-picking - but we visited the cider mill and got donuts. Their cider was perfect; it was spicy-sweet but without that tooth-achiness that comes with drinking most cider. The donuts were good, too - light with a crusty outside. B. and I each got a pumpkin-spice donut - a plain donut coated with cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg and allspice. I picked up a cute little cookbook called The Apple Lover's Cookbook by Shirley Munson and Jo Nelson. B. picked up some apples and cider.

Back at B.'s apartment, we made the Sour Cream Apple Pie. A one-crust pie, it took about 15 minutes to put together (we used a pre-made crust) and 40 min to bake. The recipe is very simple, and the pie, when done, is best eaten chilled. We added a lot more cinnamon than the original recipe called for - and the pie has a wonderful apple-cinnamon aroma. The pie has a creamier filling, and so wouldn't require any icecream or whipped cream on top. My families reaction was "It's good," so I figure it's not a break-through recipe or anything, but I liked it, and would probably make it again next fall. Here's the recipe:

Sour Cream Apple Pie

1 unbaked 9" pie shell (we used Pillsbury)
2 Tbsp. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup sour cream (we used Daisy brand, which is lighter - not quite as sour)
1 tsp. canilla
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups peeled, sliced apples (about 3 MacIntosh)

For the Nut Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When the oven in preheated, place the pie shell in the pie plate, prick with a fork, and prebake for about 10 minutes. Combine flour, salt, sugar, egg, sour cream, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon; beat well. Stir in apples. Pour into prebaked pie shell.

Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 30 minutes longer. While the pie is baking, combine all of the ingredients for the nut topping and mix until crumbly. Remove from oven; spinkle with the nut topping. Return to oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 6 to 8 servings.