CRAZY PIE CRUST
Combine in a medium bowl:
1 cup shortening
2 cups flour
Use a rubber spatula to mix until like clay.
In a small bowl, mix:
6 T flour
2 T sugar
1 tsp salt
Mix well, then add 6 T water to make a batter. Pour over the flour/shortening mix. Cut in with a knife or a pastry cutter until the batter disappear. Set aside for 10-60 minutes.
After pie crust dough has rested, place half of it on a floured surface. Roll into a circle about 8" in diameter. Cut into quarters. Stack the quarters together and press. Flour both sides and roll out. Repeat for other half of dough.
The recipe makes enough for a double crust plus a few pie crust cookies.
Next comes the filling, found on Allrecipes.com (Apple Pie by Grandma Ople)
1/2 c unsalted butter
3 T all purpose flour
1/4 c water
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (this is a change from the 8 the recipe calls for)
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer. Take off heat and stir in apples.
(You could replace some of the water with vanilla extract and add cinnamon and other spices, but we didn't and the pie was still spectacular!)
Last is the streusel topping, also found on Allrecipes.com (Dutch Apple Pie with Oatmeal Streusel)
In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, and 3/4 cup rolled oats. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle on top of pie filling and press in slightly.
It was a lot of work, but we did it as a Family Home Evening activity and had a good time. The best part was eating the results for breakfast with a little Cool Whip, because that's how we roll.
