Apple Pie with Oat Streusel

This could easily be called The Great Deflating Pie.  That's probably a good thing. Apples get soft when they get baked, so when the filling first gets added to the crust, it is an eye-popping  mountain of apple. While baking, the apple softens, the voids between slices are filled and the mountain of apple lowers into an even, dense, layer of apple goodness (with some golden brown sugar, cinnamon and allspice mixed in).

Oats are rolled into the outside of the crust and the topping (thankfully tolerant of all of these volume shifts) is a streusel of golden brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, butter and oats.

It's a wholesome, homey comfort dessert perfect for this time of the year.

Grape and Apple Pie

Why should apples have all of the fun? What about grapes? Grape and Apple Pie?  Can I call it a Grapple Pie? Call it what you want to call it, but it's great pie and it is bubblelicious!

The crust is home-made. The dough is a little bit tricky to work with but definitely worth the effort.  No pre-made crusts in this kitchen. I realize that may mean that I'm a glutton for punishment but I don't care. I just like it better. It tastes better and there is more flexibility in terms of pie size and decor. The filling is simple, having apples, grapes,sugar and flour.  The tragedy is that it is almost too pretty to eat. When I cut this one up to give away samples, it kind of broke my heart.