Preheat oven to 450 F. Whisk together sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Stir in sour cream and mix until everything is well combined with no lumps. Pour a little of this mixture into the pie shell. Add apples to the shell and pour all of the remaining sour cream mixture over the apples. Top with the topping mixture.
Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 F and continue baking for 45 minutes.
Directions for pie crust:
1. Combine the 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar in a bowl and stir with a fork. Chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
2. Take out of the freezer and add 16 tablespoons butter or shortening to the flour. Coat each piece of fat with flour, then use your fingers, two knives, or a pastry blender to cut the fat into the flour. Work gently and quickly, forcing the flour into the fat to create a sandy, moist mixture.
3. Add the water a tablespoon or two at a time, using it to bring together all the crumbs into a lovely supple dough. Stop adding water when the dough holds together without being too crumbly and before it starts getting sticky.
4. Once you have the perfect dough, divide it in half and form each half into a flattened round disc a little larger than a CD in diameter and a couple of inches thick.
5. Wrap each disc completely in plastic wrap so that no air can touch the dough.
6. Place the discs flat in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.
7. When you are ready to roll out the crust remove it from the refrigerator.
8. Cover your work surface lightly with flour, or put down a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle some flour on it. Be careful not to use too much flour; it can cause the dough to become tough.
9. Unwrap the dough and set it on your work surface. Sprinkle with some flour or some flour and a second piece of parchment. If you are using only flour be sure to flour the rolling pin as well.
10. Working from the middle out, roll the dough into a large circle, until it is uniformly about 1 cm thick and slightly larger than the diameter of your pie dish. Try to roll it into as close to a circle as you can get. Remember to lift the dough off the work surface several times to make sure it isn't sticking.
11. Carefully place the rolled out crust into the pie dish and begin filling.