My Very Favorite Apple Crumb Pie

Arrange a rack in the lowest slot of your oven.

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare pie crust and fit into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate.

Refrigerate until you are ready to add filling.

For crumb topping, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cloves in bowl.

With pastry blender or your fingertips, cut in butter until crumbly.

For filling, in a large bowl, toss together apples, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and cloves.

Spoon filling into pie shell, mounding slightly in the center.

Top filling with crumb topping.

Place on foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F; bake 30 minutes more, or until fruit is tender.

Loosely tent pie with aluminum foil during last 20 minutes of baking.

Let the pie cool for at least 1 1/2 hours.

This pie can be made a day ahead.

Cover pie and store at room temperature.

To serve, dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.