The almond crumb crust is mixed by hand and doesn’t require any rolling, which makes this a great pie for beginning bakers.

　　

Ingredients

makes one 9-inch pie

　　Almond Crumb Crust (recipe follows)

　　3 1/2 pounds assorted apples (such as Macoun, Cortland, Jonagold, Empire, or Rome), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

　　Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)

　　1/3 cup sugar

　　3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

　　1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

　　

Almond Crumb Crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

　　1 cup plus 2 tablespoons blanched almonds, finely ground

　　1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces

　　(makes enough for one 9-inch pie)

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Evenly and firmly press a little more than half of the crumbs (about 2 1/2 cups) into the bottom, up the sides, and onto the rim of a 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly into the edges. Freeze pie shell until firm, about 15 minutes.

　　

Step 2

In a large bowl, toss together apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour mixture into the chilled pie shell, mounding apples slightly in the center. Dot with butter. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs in clumps over the apples to cover completely.

　　

Step 3

Bake, rotating halfway through, until the crust turns golden and the juices begin to bubble, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The pie can be kept at room temperature, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.

　　

Almond Crumb Crust

Step 4

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. Using your fingers, squeeze the mixture together to create pea-size to 3/4-inch pieces. If not using right away, cover and chill until ready to proceed.

　　Reprinted with permission from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook by Martha Stewart. © 2005 Clarkson Potter