Apple Crumble Pie

"I don't think a really good pie can be made without a dozen or so children peeking over your shoulder as you stoop to look in at it every little while." -- John Gould

Pie crust for 9" pie, unbaked

4 pounds Gala apples (I love the sweetness in these apples)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons Jack Daniels

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons minced, crystallized ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon cloves

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Crumble topping:

1 cup all-purposed flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Pinch of sea salt

6 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" slices

Prepare topping:

In a food processor, combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add butter, pulsing, to cut in until mixture looks crumbly; set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare filling:

In a large bowl, combine sugars, flour, ginger, and spices; add apples, Jack Daniels, and butter; toss with spatula to coat apples thoroughly. (Try very hard not to eat the entire bowl of apples at this point....you have a pie to bake). Mound apples into prepared pie crust, distributing more in the center of the pie. Carefully, arrange topping over apples to cover. Place pie on a baking sheet, and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if crust is browning too quickly. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, and continue baking for 45 minutes or until filling is bubbling at edges. Remove pie to rack; cool to warm, and serve with ice cream.