The Best Apple Pie You Will Ever Have

I was calling this Apple Rum Pie until the husband and I sat down and each had a slice. All we kept saying was "This is the best apple pie I have ever had!" I'm not much of a baker mostly because it requires precision that I just don't have the attention span for. I threw this pie together without so much as a measuring spoon so all the measurements are estimations. Just go with your gut and your taste buds on this one.



Ingredients

Pie
1 premade pie crust (I prefer Pillsbury)
4 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
3/4 cup of brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
2 shots of dark rum
lemon juice (to keep the apples from browning prematurely)

Topping
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
butter, room temperature

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly dust the bottom of a pie plate with flour. Place pie crust in pie plate, press around plate. Trim the excess edges. In a medium bowl mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, allspice and rum. Add apples and coat with sugar mixture. Transfer apples to pie crust pouring excess rum mixture into the pie. Bake for 15 minutes.

While pie is baking, mix flour and granulated sugar in a small bowl. Cut butter into mixture one tablespoon at a time until mixture forms crumbles. Remove pie from oven after 15 minutes of baking. Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees. Cover top of pie with crumbles and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until crust and crumb topping are golden brown.

Serve hot from the oven or room temperature.

Potato With Green Apples and Brie Soup

Ingredients

1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup sliced leeks (whites only)
4 large Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and quartered, plus 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced thinly, for garnish
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups fat-free evaporated milk
6 small potatoes, peeled and sliced
4 ounces brie cheese, cut into small cubes

Directions

Spray a soup pot with cooking spray. Add the onion, leeks and quartered apples. Saute over medium heat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, salt and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Turn off heat and set the mixture aside.

While the broth mixture is cooking, combine the evaporated milk and potatoes in a separate saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir frequently. Pour the potato mixture into the soup pot. Stir to mix evenly.

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth, adding the pieces of brie cheese while pureeing. Return the pureed batch to the soup pot and heat until warmed through. Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with thin slices of apple. Serve immediately.