From Ashley Hightower, instructor at the Seasonal Cook in Charlottesville and chef-owner of the catering business, Dinner at Home.

Serves 6

6 cooking apples, peeled, cored, and cut
into eighths
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup hazelnuts, blanched and coarsely chopped
Pinch of salt
Vanilla ice cream

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and butter a 9-inch pie plate.

2. In a large bowl, toss apples with cinnamon and granulated sugar. Pile into pie plate.

3. To make streusel: In a medium bowl, mix butter and flour with fingertips until it resembles cornmeal. Mix in brown sugar until dough begins to clump then add hazelnuts.

4. Pour streusel topping over apples and gently press to form a crust.

5. Bake for 45 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream.