Birdie's Apple Pie

I'll start this by saying our apple pie is the most controversial pie we make in our shops. Maybe apple pie is just that way. It's for good reason, really. Everyone has a grandma, uncle, aunt, mom or sister who makes the "best apple pie". So when you taste one, it's compared to "that" apple pie - so you're competing with nostalgia. I've never beaten nostalgia. 

That said, Grandma Birdie's apple pie really was the best. Ha! It's different in that she used fresh apples, didn't cook them down and there's a crunch to her pie. We've actually had people in the shop bring it back and say, "You've fed me raw apples - I want a refund!!" With a smile, we reply - "how do you normally eat apples?!" But there you have it! If your childhood favorite apple pie was made from aged and bottled apples from Grandma's honeycrisp tree in her backyard - you'll likely not enjoy the rustic crunch of our fresh apple pie.

Here's a bit of our recipe to get you going on my favorite apple pie:

Filling: 

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs of red
• 2.5 lbs of green
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
• .5 tablespoon of nutmeg
• 1 cup of sugar
• .5 cup of flour 

Steps: 

1 - peel, core and slice apples. We slice into 1/4 inch thick, and then cut them in half. 

2 - just mix all other ingredients together - get your hands in there and 

3 - fold in the cut/sliced apples. 

Butter Crumb: 

Ingredients

• 1 cup of frozen butter 
• 1 cup of flour 
• .5 cup sugar 
• .5 cup brown sugar 

Steps: 

1 - Mix flour, sugar and brown sugar together. 

2 - When butter is frozen, butter needs to be shredded in a food processor. Kind of looks like cheese. :) 

3 - Fold butter into dry ingredients and coat evenly. 

Assembling & Baking: 

1 - Add apple mix to your favorite pie crust. Unfortunately, I can't share our crust recipe publicly. It's a main reason Yelp named us one of America's Best Pie Stops. :) 

2 - Cover the apples, completely, with the butter crumb top. Don't be afraid! Use it all. Cover every bit or apples will burn. 

3 - Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes until juices bubbling out are thick and caramel like. Sometimes I cover it if the crumb is looking too brown. Some people like the crust well done. Your preference! 

4 - Remove and let the pie breath and get down close to room temp. Enjoy!

Tips:
- Work fast, in a cool kitchen with a fresh or cool processor. Ensure apples are juicy enough, do not drain apples while filling (or pie will be dry). Coat the top with butter crumb completely, if apple pieces are left uncovered, they will burn. Once you believe pies are done cooking, you can tip pie or sheet pan to see if juices are clear and watery or thick and caramel like. The latter means that it is done! Let sit and get to room temp (if you can!).