Apple Crumb Pie

Makes 1 9-inch pie

• One 9-inch frozen pie pastry
• 3 pounds apples (6 or 7 Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Rome, Empire), peeled, cored and sliced (6 rounded cups)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar (depending on sweetness or tartness of apples)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot, divided
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) non-hydrogenated margarine

Leave pie pastry frozen until ready to use. Wash apples, peel, core and slice thinly. Toss with lemon juice to retard tarnishing. (Apples be prepped ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for a few hours.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. If using sugar, combine sugar with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and half the arrowroot, then mix with apples to thoroughly coat. Remove pastry from freezer and place on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle pastry, especially the center, with remaining arrowroot. Gently press apples into pastry. Wrap a band of aluminum foil around perimeter of pie and crimp to join. This will protect crust from scorching and help keep crumb topping in place. Bake 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, make crumb topping: Place margarine in a large microwavable bowl and microwave until melted. In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar and cinnamon well. Add flour mixture to melted margarine and mix well. Using hands, squeeze mixture so that it forms crumbly pieces.

Remove pie from oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees F, spread crumb topping over apples, and bake 30 to 40 minutes until topping is lightly browned and filling is bubbly. Allow to cool completely before serving.