Ever get tired of rolling out pie crusts? Or, have you ever cut into a freshly baked pie and found the crust thicker than you wanted? With the invention of biscuit mix, you can now bake a pie without the hassle of making your own crust or the worry of making one that doesn’t turn out right? If you’re a big fan of America’s favorite apple pie, this recipe, which calls for biscuit mix, eliminates the need to make your own crust but still produces a yummy dessert.
Apples may not be “in season” at the moment, but thankfully they’re available all year long. And, that’s great because there are so many ways to use them: candied, in cakes, fried, cut up in salads, made into juice or baked into pies. And, of course, you can just pick up one of the tasty fruits and eat it.
My mom always made her apple pies with a double crust, although sometimes the top was a lattice-style crust. I was a kid the first time I saw a French apple pie without a crust on top. My Aunt Blanche invited our family over for supper one night, and she brought out this apple pie with crumbs on top. I’d never seen one like it before. It was right out of the oven when she served it and I thought I’d never tasted an apple pie that yummy!
So, I was delighted when a few years ago I ran across this French Apple Pie recipe (with a nutty-crunchy topping). There’s no need to make a crust, so you save all the time and avoid all the mess of rolling out the dough.
You can add 1/2 cup of raisins to the apple mixture if you like. And, I highly recommend serving the pie hot with a dollop of whipped cream on top.
EASY FRENCH APPLE PIE
3 large all-purpose apples (about 3 cups), peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup Bisquick or other baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon margarine or butter, softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs
Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup Bisquick (or other baking mix)
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons firm margarine or butter
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch pie plate and spread apples evenly in pie plate.
Then make streusel topping and set aside. To make the topping, mix Bisquick, nuts and brown sugar. Cut in margarine or butter, using fork or pastry blender, until mixture is crumbly.
In separate bowl, stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour over apples. Sprinkle with streusel topping.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes.
Note: If you prefer peaches to apples, just substitute 2 (16-ounce) cans sliced peaches, well drained, or 4 medium peaches (3 cups), peeled and sliced.
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