Super-Tasty, Simple Apple Pie

I love when I get the chance to highlight my real-life friends on the blog. My hilarious and incredibly talented friend Meg has just come out with a new book: Little Old Lady Recipes: Comfort Food and Kitchen Table Wisdom. I am still making my way through it (and will post my thoughts soon) -- but you're in for a treat. Meg has written a guest post featuring a recipe from the book . . . from her own grandmother's kitchen.

Take it away, Meg!

Apple pie is one of my favorite desserts, but I will rarely ever order it in restaurants. I clench my jaw when I discover I’m about to be served it at a friend’s dinner party, hoping for the best. And I don’t care how good you say a bakery is; I’ll likely avoid any crust-and-apple dessert they have.

Why? The likelihood of overpowering, unnecessary, get-them-out-of-my-dessert spices.

I consider the over-spiced apple pie to be an affront to good apples everywhere. We can agree that the apple is a good fruit, right? And that, especially in the fall, it’s easy for many of us to find fresh, crisp apples bursting with sharp, fresh taste? So why are we putting those pretty little apples in our pies and then insulting them with the overwhelming addition of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and so on? I’d certainly expect these kind of shenanigans with pumpkin pie – we can recognize by now that most of what we love about “pumpkin” flavor is a mixture of spices, not actual pumpkin, right? – but pulling this crap with fresh autumn apples? Well, that’s a shame.

That’s one of the reasons why I was really thrilled to work on my book, Little Old Lady Recipes. Besides meeting lots of awesome, caring, sassy ladies; trying delicious food; and browsing through several old cookbooks, I was also able to share my grandmother’s own apple pie recipe.


I fully credit Grammy Favreau for making me a pie lover. Fruit pies were her specialty, and they were, above all else, simple – a combination of fruit mixed with a bit of sugar and some dabs of butter. In every single pie she made – strawberry rhubarb, raspberry blueberry, apple, or whatever else – the flavor focus was on the fruit. Bea’s pies featured flaky crusts, were great paired with vanilla ice cream, and managed to be sweet without making your teeth hurt. (That’s also part of the reason I’m more of a pie person than a cake person – I love cake, but overly sweet frosting leaves me feeling like some sugar crawled into my mouth, died, and had the final wish “please leave a weird annoying film on this girl’s teeth.”)

So, with no disrespect intended for Ashley’s perfect apple pie – I know that some people really do prefer spices in theirs – I’d like to present my grandmother’s apple pie, another (perhaps perfect) take on the dessert.

PIECRUST

• 4 cups flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 cups shortening
• 1 cup milk (I used soy milk)

In a large bowl, sift flour and add salt, baking powder, and sugar. Then add tablespoons of shortening to flour mixture, spreading it around and mixing it a little. With clean hands, slowly knead the shortening into the flour. It should stick together a little. Add milk slowly, mixing as you go, until most of it is incorporated. Then go back and knead it with your hands again. The final dough should stick to your hands, but you should be able to work with it. Don’t overknead! Let cool in a large plastic bag in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before using.

After the dough has chilled, dust your rolling pin and work the surface with flour, then roll a circle as thin as you can so it covers the size of a pie plate. Place dough in plate and add filling. Add top crust if the recipe calls for it, and pinch edges of top and bottom crusts together. Make sure to cut slits in the top crust so steam can escape. Makes enough crusts for 4 to 5 pies. Freeze dough you don’t intend to use in the next few days.


APPLE PIE

• Piecrust
• 4 to 6 apples (I find that a mix of different tart varieties is the awesomest)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp butter
• Spices of your choice (if you so dare)

Pare, core, and slice apples. Place in a bowl and mix with sugar, 1 to 2 tbsp water, bits of the butter, and your choice of spices. Pour into an uncooked piecrust and then lay the upper crust on top. Pinch edges, slash upper crust, and bake at 425 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown on the edges.

(I feel like it would be a shame not to mention here that, while Ashley and I both love good food dearly, we first met over 10 years ago (!!!) at perhaps the lowest of culinary locations – our college’s crappiest dining hall, on training day. I quit after the day they made me clean dead bugs out of the windowsill with a spoon. Ashley, from what I understand, had a s.l.i.g.h.t.l.y better experience.)

THE BOOK


Stay tuned!!! On Thursday, you'll get a chance to win your very own copy of Meg's Little Old Lady Recipes. It's a great giveaway, but you'll have to check back for details . . .

And if you missed it, on (never home)maker, baby! I'm FULL TERM. 37 weeks. Things are getting very real, very fast. But we're happy to be even closer to meeting our little girl.

Well, maybe she's not so little anymore!


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Our Recipes: Pies, Tarts, and Fruit

PIES, TARTS, and FRUIT:

• Chocolate-Pumpkin Pie*
• Gooey Caramel Apples
• The Perfect Apple Pie*
• Chocolate Chip Rhubarb Bread*
• No-Bake Coconut-Carob Pie*
• Purple Sticky Rice Tart*
• Strawberry-Pear Faux Pie*
• Nutella Pie
• Ginger-Basil Apple Crisp*
• Chocolate-Blueberry Tart
• No-Bake Chocolate-Coconut Pie*
• Chocolate-PB Fudge Tart (No-Bake)*
• Strawberry-Blackberry Cobbler*

* means VEGAN

BACK TO ALL RECIPES >>>

OR BROWSE BY CATEGORY:

GRANOLA & OATS	PANCAKES, ETC.	SMOOTHIES
SPREAD, SAUCES, DIPS	SALADS	SOUPS & STEWS
SNACKS & STARTERS	SANDWICHES & BURGERS	PIZZA, ETC.
STIR-FRIES, ETC.	OTHER MEALS	BREADS
CAKES & CUPCAKES	COOKIES & BROWNIES	PIES & TARTS
ICE CREAM & PUDDING	DRINKS	CONVERSIONS

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The Perfect Apple Pie

If you haven't gathered by now, I don't really consider fruit dessert. So, I haven't made many pies, tarts, and other chocolate-less sweets. Don't get me wrong. I love fruit. Apples, especially. But it wasn't until this week last year that I baked my first-ever apple pie.

We've written briefly about our adventure before in our Take a Cooking Class with Friends post. To recap: We traveled to the The New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, NY. We had one mission and one mission only: To create the most amazing apple pies possible. We learned a variety of techniques, tips, and tricks. We drank wine and beer. We had fun.

And here's how you, too, can bake a KILLER apple pie. There are a lot of steps. But -- you need not be scared. It's fun, albeit time-consuming. Once you're mastered the basics, you're on your way to a lifetime of flaky tastiness.



STEP 1: GRAB YOUR FRIENDS

Why? Because it's more fun that way! Plus, you can hang out, play games, and do other fun fall stuff while you wait for your pies to bake.


STEP 2: CHOOSE YOUR APPLES WISELY

We learned that no all apples are perfect for pies. With so many varieties, it may be hard to figure out which kind you want to use. Freshly picked are great. And not only are they, well, the freshest, but going to an orchard (or stopping by your local farmers market) is also a lot of fun. As far as texture, firmer apples are desirable because they won't turn to total mush during the baking process. Having the apples keep a bit of their shape is a good thing. Taste is subjective (and so is everything else, really), a mix of tart and sweet is preferable.

Some specific kinds of apples you may want to try:

• Granny Smith
• Jonathan
• MacIntosh
• Pink Lady
• Macoun
• Braeburns
• Fuji
• (We'd love YOUR suggestions, too!)

You'll want about 6 good-sized apples in all. And don't feel limited to just one type of apple. At the workshop, we had our pick. Actually, Stephen and I opted to make our pies with three different kinds.


STEP 3: MAKE YOUR CRUST(S)

This recipe will make enough for a top and bottom crust. That's how we made our pies. You may also wish to use the top crust to make a lattice design, but I don't know how to do that. It's too fancy for me. Whatever you choose, our instructor taught us that it's good to use a mix of butter (or Earth Balance, see our conversion chart) and shortening to achieve optimum flakiness. I've gotta say, her method works!

What you'll need . . .

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (very cold)
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 to 8 tablespoons cold water (I used apple cider!)

Method . . .

1. In a large bowl, whisk together you flour, salt, and sugar. Set aside.
2. Cut your butter and shortening into cubes (about 1/2 inch or so). You may wish to place them in the freezer for 10 minutes or so to ensure they are cold.
3. Add your butter/shortening cubes to the flour mixture. Combine with your fingers until it resembles a coarse meal.
4. Start adding your cold water (or cider), 1 tablespoon at a time and mixing with your hands. Keep adding water until you reach the "shaggy mass" consistency. Basically, a shaggy mass has been reached when you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together.
5. If the dough doesn't hold together yet, add another tablespoon of water and try again.
6. Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs-- but try your best not to over-handle. You'll want the butter pats to stay in tact (as a FAT POCKET, seriously, people!) because that's what gives you a flaky texture. YES: You should be able to see patches of butter in the dough.
7. Sprinkle each disc with some flour, as well as the work surface -- and roll out into a 12-inch circle. Quick, rapid rolls will do you, in opposing directions. Try not to roll too many times. You want to do this part relatively fast so you can keep it cold again. Repeat with the other disc.
8. Carefully place one round onto a 9-inch pie plate. Place the other one on some parchment or a flat plate.
9. Cover each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour (though the dough will keep for up to 2 days).
10. Make your filling . . .

STEP 4: PREPARE YOUR FILLING

Again, you'll want about 6 good-sized apples -- of whatever you choose -- in all. Just peel, core, and slice each apple. Toss the slices into a large mixing bowl.

You'll also want to add . . .

• 1/2 to 1 cup sugar (I use less whenever possible)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Just combine all ingredients and mix until apples are well coated. Stay with me, now. You're almost there!


STEP 5: ASSEMBLE AND BAKE YOUR PIE

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Take your pie crust out of the refrigerator. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough on the pie plate so it only overlaps about 1/2 inch of the edge.
3. Pour your apples into the pie plate/pie crust. If you have too many, leave some out. But you can have a slight mound. It will cook down a bit.
4. Cover with your other pie crust. Again, trim if necessary. Then make sure you seal your top and bottom crusts by pressing them together with your fingers.
5. Make a few slices with a knife through the top crust to allow the steam to escape during baking. Just two or three will do.
6. Allow to bake for 45 minutes. We checked ours frequently -- you want the crust to be golden brown.
7. Note: If you used apple cider, your crust will brown faster/deeper than if you had used water. This is simply because there is sugar in cider and sugar caramelizes. Just pay attention and watch for burning.

Of course, there are many methods for baking pies. What's your trick? We're definitely not experts, so advice and/or helpful hints are appreciated! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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READER SPOTLIGHT: Apple Pie Oatmeal

Hey, everyone. I'm Sarah (from Daily Nibbles). And I live in the beautiful -- yet cold -- state of Vermont with my running and skiing enthusiast boyfriend and his rescue cat of unknown age, The Dude. I'm into a variety of hobbies: cooking, crafting, running, traveling, photography, etc. But above all else, I am currently training for the Vermont City Marathon and trying to eat more vegetables and whole grains.

The recipe for this delicious and apple pie oatmeal is super easy. But first, some background: In my attempts to eat healthier (less sweets, more veggies and grains), I have discovered a love of oatmeal. Don’t get me wrong – I never disliked oatmeal, but I would have rather put a cup in my favorite cookie dough than eat a bowl of it in the morning. I have found that adding a number of creative concoctions help make it more palatable: blueberries, mango, pumpkin, cinnamon, chia seeds, walnuts.

Recently, I discovered a way to make it taste like apple pie!

You need:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup water
• 1 T chia seeds
• dash of cinnamon
• 2-3 T applesauce
• 1 tsp. Vermont maple syrup
• 2 T chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:

1. Bring the water to a boil. Add the oats and turn the heat down to medium. Cook about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in chia seeds, applesauce, cinnamon, and maple syrup.
3. Pour into bowl and sprinkle with walnuts – and an extra dash of cinnamon.
4. Eat and enjoy.

Anything I can do to mimic dessert for breakfast earns a gold star in my book. I had to share the recipe for those that love oatmeal and those who should give it a try.


We couldn't agree more! Thanks to Sarah for sharing with us this fantastic breakfast recipe! You can read more on her blog (Daily Nibbles). And just FYI -- I'm making this TODAY for breakfast because as I finish the post, I'm finding that my mouth is watering. Yum!

This has been yet another READER SPOTLIGHT! And if you'd like to be featured, just check out our info post with all the gooey details about the spotlight, as well as guest posting opportunities. And keep an eye out for Nicole's vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies recipe -- which will be featured in next Friday's post.

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