Mrs. Gross's Apple Pudding

Hahaha! The cookbook editors tucked this apple pie in the pudding section, making you "think" there was only one marvelous apple pie recipe (see blog for Westport Island Upside-Down Apple Pie) to be had in this awesome Bicentennial cookbook. No worries! You get to bake another apple pie, and it is a pleasure for me to share that This Apple Pie Is Like No Other. You're gonna love it!

Easy peasy recipe. It calls for both apples and blueberries or rhubarb. But I was hankering for apple-only. I mean, it's apple orchard season, not blueberry or rhubarb season. There is this terrific crumb topping that is perfect. What makes it perfect, you ask? What makes everything perfect, my friends? Butter. Yesssss! Melted and poured liberally over the crumb topping. Then, here is where the recipe and I parted ways. It says to sprinkle cinnamon lightly over the top. Hah! I don't keep a jar of mixed cinnamon and sugar on hand for nothing! The pie needs a generous sprinkling of cinnamon/sugar mix after the butter has been poured.

Don't overbake this baby or the crust will be too hard and the apples will be applesauce. I pulled it out maybe five minutes before the end of the recommended bake time and it was perfect. A crust that is not too firm, but crisp enough. An apple that is soft but not sauce. And a cinnamon-sugar pop for the taste buds that will transport you to memories of the best apple pies of your childhood.

Of course, I served it with vanilla ice cream. Friendly's, our favorite. So delish, and yes, nearly gone as I write this.




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