While some grandmothers are cake makers and some are pie makers, granddaughters ADDISON ELIZABETH SMITH (Johnson City, Tennessee), ISABEL KATHLEEN SHEFFIELD (Nashville, Tennessee), and REESE ELIZABETH SHEFFIELD (also of Nashville) say that their Grandmama is definitely a pie lady! They share that ELIZABETH ROBERTSON SMITH (Rogersville, Tennessee) makes this pie for every occasion—birthdays, holidays, family gatherings—and that everyone loves it! The girls love her famous pie too—especially when eaten warm with ice cream. While still little girls now, they look forward to Grandmama teaching them how to make it so they’ll be sure the tradition lives on!
APPLE BASE:
Butter to grease dish
6 cups apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (approximately 6 medium)*
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
TOPPING:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) cold margarine
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 × 11-inch baking pan.
2 TO MAKE THE BASE, place the apples in a large bowl and add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Toss to coat the apples and spread out evenly in the buttered baking pan.
3 TO MAKE THE TOPPING, in a medium bowl use a pastry blender to combine the flour, brown sugar, and margarine until crumbly. Spread the topping over the apples and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the apples are tender and the mixture is brown and bubbly. Serve warm, alone or with vanilla ice cream.
MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS.
* Good baking apples include Granny Smith, Cortland, Rome, Northern Spy, Pink Lady, or a mix of any of them.