Newton Patch Reader Gets Recipe Featured in National PatchCooks Post

Last week, knee deep in u-pick apples, we called on Patch readers to share their very best apple pie recipes and trade secrets.

This story and recipe by Susan Cassidy, a Newton Patch reader, really caught our eye. Here it is in her own words:

I'm usually not so definite about recipes, but seriously: This is it.

I got it from my college buddy Doug, who got it from his Grandma Prouty. I've been making this recipe for at least 25 years. And I've made it hundreds of times. I know this not because the card that Doug wrote the recipe on is stained and well-loved. I know it because we've had an almost-annual apple pie party since 1988 (best as we can recall). 

My housemates and I started this party way back when; Helen and I made dozens of apple pies, with many different apples. Steve did all the peeling, poor guy. We were united in our quest to find the best apple for apple pie. Strangely enough, we keep forgetting what combination won each year, and had to have the party all over again the following year with even more types of apples and recipes. We loved this party. 

After our house sharing ended, the party endured. After I got married, the party continued on. Not quite every year, to be honest. But most years. As you can probably guess, we've tested quite a few recipes, quite a few crusts, and quite a few types of apples. Our kids once tried to figure out how many pounds of flour, butter, sugar (both brown and white), and cinnamon we go through. I forget the answer, but it's a lot. I'm the only person I know who owns two dozen-plus pie plates. 

So back to the recipe, the best recipe, bar none, is Grandma Prouty's. Everyone loves it. OK, there are those that prefer a top crust to their pie, because this is an apple crumb pie recipe. BUT, even those folks like this pie. It's a classic. It's not difficult to make. But it is the best.

I've always wished that I could have met Grandma Prouty. But every year we toast Doug and his grandma. Doug's like a celebrity at the party; it's kinda neat.

OK, I've tantalized you enough with the story. Here's the recipe with my notes in parentheses:

Apple Crumb Pie, by Doug's Grandma Prouty
1 9" pre-crusted pie plate (I make my own crusts, but that's another story)
5-7 tart apples
1/2 cup sugar (I use white)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar, again (I use brown)
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup butter

Pare apples, cut into eighths. Arrange in pie plate. Mix sugar (white) and cinnamon, sprinkle over apples. Mix sugar (brown) and flour, fold in butter until crumbly, sprinkle over apples. Bake at 400 degrees or until apples are not hard when stuck with fork. If edges burn, wrap with tin foil. Cool and serve.

Thank you Susan!

***
PatchCooks is a new nationally crowd-sourced feature that gathers favorite recipes from Patch readers coast to coast each week. Share your ideas, photos and recipes on Twitter with #PatchCooks or email us at kathleen@patch.com.