SP9 Hostess post: GreatGram's Grated Apple Pie

Patty, my SP9 hostess, posted a new contest to her blog... to write about my favorite recipe and what it means to me.
I chose my Great Grandmother Huff's Grated Apple Pie. I'm not sure if I even remember the story behind we always had a different kind of apple pie than everyone else, but the pie is great! Maybe I should describe it since it is sort-of novel. It has a bottom crust, but no top. The filling is basically grated apples - I've tried different varieties but come back to Granny Smith's with one or 2 Gala or Jonathan's thrown in for sweetness, and some cinnamon. If my apples are juicy I've added flour or cornstarch to the filling before too and I've also switched to aluminum pie tins with the 'air holes' in the bottom for a crisper crust. The top of the pie is an egg yolk and sugar custard-like thing... but you have to watch the total sugar content or the pie can get overly sweet. So the apples cook down and the custard gets golden brown and it's done. At its best the apples just barely hold their grated shape until you bite and then it's an apple explosion in your mouth.
I think the reason (other than it being delicious) why I like this family recipe is because it's unique. I haven't come across anybody else who makes a grated apple pie at least in my circles, though there are a few on the web... on CMT and Jewish-food, and a book on Amazon says it's from the Pennsylvania Dutch! So who knows. But my Great Grandma, Grandma, Mom and my sister and I all make it and it's my favorite family recipe!