I recently entered a pie baking contest to win tickets to see Waitress. I won second place. Pies were supposed to have a theme that related to the musical. Here is the spiel I gave about my pie:

I have walked a very different path in life than Jenna, but I very much relate to her use of baking to help her process her emotional issues. I was previously homebound with major health issues for six years, and baking was one of the ways I released stress on my good health days. I tend to bake using seasonal ingredients because they are more flavorful and affordable. Since we are in apple season, I immediately thought of one of my favorite pies that I have created which is a variation on a French crumb apple pie. However, I wanted to do something more with the recipe to fit with the theme of this contest. I was thinking about phrases with “apple” in them, and the phrase “apple of my eye” popped into my head. Like Jenna, many of us have had loves whom we thought were the apple of our eye. We believed that they were amazing and perfect, and then the relationship goes sour. Fortunately not all of us go through the abuse that Jenna went through with Earl after her relationship went bad once she had married him. That made me think of what I could add to the pie to make it more sour. Since it’s also cranberry season, I decided to turn it into a cranberry apple pie and name it the, “Something Soured the Apple of My Eye Pie.”

This can be easily made gluten free by substituting the gluten free flour mixture of your choice in place of the all-purpose flour. It can be made vegan and dairy free by substituting coconut oil, shortening or margarine for the butter.

Something Soured the Apple of my Eye Pie

Makes one 10” pie

Crust
1.5 c organic all-purpose flour
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 c organic unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/4-1/2 cup cold water
Extra flour for rolling out crust

Filling
6 cups of peeled, cored, and thinly sliced organic apples (about 6 large apples or 9 small). I used equal amounts of Granny Smith, Gala, and Fuji.
12 oz (one bag) organic cranberries, fresh or frozen (defrosted and drained), chopped coarsely
1/2 c organic light brown sugar, packed
1/3 c organic cornstarch
1/2 t sea salt
1 t organic cinnamon
1 t organic nutmeg

Crumb Topping
1 c organic all-purpose flour
1/2 c organic light brown sugar, packed
1/2 c (one stick) organic unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 c organic shredded coconut

Directions

Prepare the apples and cranberries. Add the rest of the filling ingredients to the fruit in an oven-proof bowl and mix well. Place in the oven at 425F while it preheats to get the fruit softening a bit.

Mix together the dry ingredients for the crust. Cut the butter in with a fork. Add water until the dough is moistened enough to stay together but isn’t goopy. Roll the dough out and put in a 10” pie pan, crimping the edges. Set aside.

Mix together all of the ingredients for the crumb topping. I find it easiest to mix with my hands. It will be a bit on the dry side. Set aside.

Pull the filling out of the oven. Being careful of the hot bowl, pour the filling into the pie crust. Top with the crumb topping.

Place the pie on a cookie sheet (to help with any spillovers) and cover with foil. Bake at 425F for about 40-50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes to brown the crumb topping. If the fruit juices are not bubbling up on the sides at this point, re-cover with foil and put it back in the oven in 5 minute increments until it is bubbling and juicy.

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