Old Fashioned Apple Pie With French

7 c. sliced, peeled McIntosh or good cooking apples (about 7)

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Dash of ground cloves

1 tbsp. lemon juice or 1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. cornstarch or flour

4 vanilla wafers, crushed, or 3 tbsp. finely ground nuts

1 (9 inch) unbaked pastry shell

FRENCH CRUMB TOPPING:

1/3 c. butter

1/3 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch (or flour). Mix together with apples, brown sugar, spices, and lemon juice. Sprinkle wafers or nuts on bottom of pie shell. (This keeps crust from becoming soggy.) Spoon apple mixture into pie shell.

1/3 cup butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar together. Cut in

3/4 cup flour. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle topping over apples in pie plate. Bake for 50 minutes or until topping is golden and apples are tender.

NOTE: If you prefer to use conventional top crust, brush unbaked top crust with egg yolk and 1 tablespoon cream mixed together. Dust with sifted powdered sugar when pie comes out of oven. Or use the following topping on top of the crust before baking.

2 tbsp. flour

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. chopped nuts

3 tbsp. dark corn syrup

2 tbsp. butter, softened

Mix all ingredients together and spread over unbaked top crust. Bake for about 50 minutes.

3 or 4 teaspoons of cinnamon into 1 quart softened vanilla ice cream. Refreeze. Serve a scoop of the cinnamon ice cream on warm apple-pie slices.