Sometimes a pie is just a pie. And sometimes it’s not. 

My family moved into a newly renovated home last year, and the renovations continued once we moved in. This meant lots of strangers in and out of our house. If you’ve been in this situation, you know it’s a bit awkward, especially if you’re at home during the day. I tried to carry on with my regular routine, which meant baking for my family and sharing it with any member of the work crew who happened to be there at the time.

Once the dessert started flowing, we were strangers no more. There’s something about a chocolate chip cookie that breaks down barriers, isn’t there? We all get a little warm and fuzzy after eating something warm and gooey from the oven, particularly when it’s something that brings us back to our childhoods. 

One particular crew member, “Tom,” was in our house for weeks, Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4 with a few breaks. Tom and me. Me and Tom. 

Tom and I had almost nothing in common. He was a man of few words, I a woman of many. Different phases of life, very different life stories. But we exchanged pleasantries. He worked. I tried to stay out of his way. I baked. He ate. We chatted some more. 

I figured out that Tom would be alone for an upcoming holiday, preparing a simple meal just for himself. I decided to bake him an apple pie for the holiday because, well, that’s me. 

When Tom returned to our house after the holiday, he stopped in the kitchen. He thanked me for the pie. He told me he’d enjoyed eating it all weekend.

And then he said, “Being here, in your kitchen, it reminds me of my mom.” He shared with me some remembrances of his mother, his best friend. He told me about the foods she’d made. He told me about her apple pie. 

“It’s what she always made.”

“Really? There’s just something about apple pie, isn’t there?”

“Yeah. There is. Your pie... it meant a lot.”

What if this is the power of receiving and tasting a pie? To bring a person back to his place of first belonging. To his mother’s love.

And what if this is the power of making a pie? To labor on behalf of another so that he knows he is seen. To help tell the most important story. You are cared for. Loved. Then and now. Always. 

Sometimes a pie is just a pie. And sometimes it’s not.

The first apple pie I ever made (just a few years ago!) was the Pioneer Woman's apple pie. There was much about the recipe I liked, but I thought that the apples would shine a bit more with fewer bells and whistles. I've made it many, many times since and think I've finally settled on my favorite iteration of it. I make mine in a deep dish ceramic pie pan in order to accommodate all the apples; I find that I rarely have to trim any from the edges of the crust when using this pan. If you're using a regular depth pie pan, you'll most likely have crust trimmings and may want to use only 6 cups sliced apples. If you're baking the pie for someone else, I recommend using a disposable foil pie pan, reducing the baking time a bit, and nestling the baked pie into a second disposable tin after it's cooled for less messy transport.

My hope is that this pie brings as much joy to the people in your life as it has to the people in mine.

Crumb Top Bourbon Apple Pie

Adapted from: Ree Drummond's Caramel Apple Pie 

Ingredients:
1 prepared deep-dish pie crust (I don't think you can beat this crust recipe)

Crumb topping:
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
Pinch salt 

Filling:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch teaspoon salt
About 3 pounds apples of your choice (I often use Granny Smith)
1 ounce bourbon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and adjust oven rack to middle of oven. Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.

For pie crust: On a well-floured surface, roll out pie crust to about a 12” diameter. Gently remove from rolling surface and drape into a deep dish pie pan. Using your fingers, gently press the crust into the corners and up the sides of the pan. Trim edges so that about 1” of dough hangs over the edge of the pan; you may not have any excess to trim. Fold hanging dough under edge of dough in pan. Using your fingers or a spoon, crimp the edges of the dough around the circumference of the pan. Place prepared pan into the freezer while you prepare remaining ingredients.

For crumb topping: Combine all topping ingredients in a medium bowl. Using your hands, mix together the ingredients until uniformly combined and can be squeezed into a ball. Break the topping into large, loose clumps and refrigerate until ready to top pie.

For pie filling: In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Core, peel, and slice apples about 1/4” thick; you should have about 7 tightly packed and slightly heaping cups of apples. Place apples into bowl with sugar mixture and sprinkle with bourbon. Using a spoon or your hands, toss together until sugar mixture and bourbon have become a wet, sand-like mix and apples are thoroughly coated with it.

Remove prepared pie pan from the freezer and place on foil-covered baking sheet. Pour apples into crust. Distribute refrigerated crumb topping evenly over the surface of the apples, trying to make sure all the apples are covered. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until edges of crust are nicely browned. Gently drape foil over the edges of the crust to shield them and return to oven. Bake pie for 20 - 25 more minutes, or until crumb topping is browned, pie is bubbling, and juices are thickened and sticky. If not yet bubbling but crumb topping is browned, loosely cover with foil and bake for 5 - 10 more minutes or until bubbling. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 4 hours before slicing. Yield: 8 very generous slices, 10 more reasonable ones.