I'm Not Cooking by the Book

We had perfected the cranberry apple crumble last winter by modifying this recipe, but then I never wrote down our modifications. Last night was our first cranberry apple crumble of the season and we are still puckered from the tartness. Modified version below, to remind ourselves..

For pie shell:

• 1 uncooked pie shell (frozen pre-made, frozen dough, make it yourself, whatever you want)

For crumble topping:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tbsp butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tbsp margarine, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup untoasted pecans or walnuts

For fruit filling:

• 3 large or 4 medium Gala and/or Jonah Gold apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (~2 lbs)
• 1/2 cup frozen (not thawed) cranberries
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Equipment:

• 9 1/2-inch glass deep-dish pie plate (6-cup capacity)

Make crumble topping: 

Coarsely chop a bit more than 1/2 cup of walnuts in food processor by pulsing 5 times with Chop function. Set nuts aside in small bowl. Add flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt to food processor - use Stir function. Add in butter with Mix function until large clumps form, then Stir in chopped nuts. Chill until ready to use.

Make fruit filling: 

Stir together apples, cranberries, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl.

Assemble pie: 

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in lower third.

Transfer fruit filling to pie shell. Loosely cover with foil and bake until apples droop slightly, about 35 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Sprinkle crumble topping over filling and bake, uncovered, until crumble is browned, filling is bubbling, and apples are tender, 40-55 minutes more. Cool completely, 2 to 3 hours.