Preparation

Place a baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven. Place the oven rack for the pie on the second level up from the bottom. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

To make the pecan crunch topping, in a small bowl combine the sugars, flour, cinnamon, salt and pecans. Add the butter and, using two knives or a pastry blender, cut the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

To make the pumpkin filling, in a small bowl stir together the sugars, flour, spices, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin, eggs, and heavy cream until smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients.

To make the apple layer, in a large bowl mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour; toss with apples to coat evenly. In a 10- to 10 1/2-inch iron skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the butter and cook 3 minutes, until just starting to brown; top with the apples and remove from the heat.

Pour the pumpkin filling over the apples and scatter the pecan crunch topping over the top, leaving about a 1/4-inch border of pumpkin around the edges uncovered. Bake 10 minutes; then lower the oven temperature to 350 F. Bake about 40 to 45 minutes, until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and cool for at least 30 minutes. Spoon out of the skillet, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and grate the cinnamon stick over the ice cream.

* For a softer pumpkin pie consistency, use 2 tablespoons flour. If you prefer a firmer pumpkin pie, use 3 tablespoons.