Recipe: Cream and Crumb Shnitz Apple Pie (Mennonite Apple Pie)

CREAM AND CRUMB SHNITZ APPLE PIE
(MENNONITE APPLE PIE)

1 cup brown sugar (less if apples are sweet)
1/3 cup flour
Pastry for one (9-inch) pie
3 tbsp butter, softened
4 to 7 apples (I usually use Cortland, Rome Beauty or Lobo)
2/3 cup heavy cream or sour cream
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Cheddar cheese or vanilla ice cream (for serving)

Blend brown sugar, flour and butter into crumbs, and sprinkle about 1/3 of the mixture into the pie shell.

Peel and core the apples and cut them into 1-inch segments (schnitz). Arrange them in circles over the crumbs in the pie shell.

Mix half the remaining crumbs with the cream and pour it over the apples.

Mix the rest of the crumbs with the cinnamon and sprinkle it over all.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes then at 350F for 30 more minutes, until the top turns golden and apples are soft.

Serve lukewarm with piece of cheddar cheese or vanilla ice cream.

Source: Matt Friedman from the Canadian Farmer's Almanac, 1994