Apple Pie Makes one 9" pie, to serve 6 to 8 For longer than I care to admit in print, I have been what could charitably be called an apple pie failure. For one thing, I never liked apple pie very much. Most of the apple pies I'd had were sorry constructions, insipidly, wrongly sweet fillings smothering greyish, sodden crusts. I couldn't imagine what there was to recommend this favorite American dessert until, within a month of one another, I had occasion to try both my mother-in-law's version and my sister-in-law Susan's version. Both were winners: meltingly flaky crusts and toothsome fillings -- my mother-in-law's barely firm, just this side of applesauce, and Susan's thicker and chunkier, both bathed in cinnamon and heat. These pies turned my head around and for the very first time, I saw what the big deal was. These apple pies were so good, as a matter of fact, that I was tempted to try making my own. I decided that something a little out of the ordinary might be fun, and thumbed through all my cookbooks in search of The Recipe. I finally found one (I won't tell you where, for fear of unduly embarrassing the cookbook authors). It called for grated sharp cheddar cheese and dry mustard in the crust, and I thought, aha! This is it! Unusual, yet leaning towards traditional! Well, I made it and "disgusting, yet leaning towards abominable" was more like it. My husband, who is usually cheerful when it comes to testing my kitchen experiments, actually became defensive and sulky when I fed him a slice of this pie. He took a couple of bites and then, with elaborate politeness, asked me to never, never make it again. Well, fine, I thought, I can make other things. I don't have to make apple pie, too. Wrong. People look at you funny if you admit not knowing how to make a decent apple pie, especially when they know that you (sort of) make your living as a food writer. It's rather akin to explaining that you are competing in a marathon after they've already caught a glimpse of your wooden leg. When friends of ours visited from Freiburg, Germany a few years ago, we took them to Peace Valley, a local orchard. We bought pumpkins, squash, and of course, lots of apples. We bought so many apples, in fact, that I decided it was once again time to swish a red apron in front of the apple pie bull. I asked one of the ladies who runs the orchard what apples I should use for a pie. "D'ya like 'em to mush up or hold their shape?" she asked, eyeballing me to gauge my apple-pie-making fitness. "I don't know," I said. "Sort of in between, I guess." She slapped the counter and said very definitely, "Rome or Stayman-Winesap." I was in a Stayman-Winesap kind of mood and made a pie that very evening out of a sort of combination of recipes from different cookbooks. It was OK, but that was about it. For one thing, I cooked it about twice as long as most recipes suggested, but the apples were still sort of crunchy. I made another pie the next day, and had the same problem, despite having added cream to the filling. Yet another apple pie and three days later, I finally decided that the orchard lady hadn't had a clue and that Stayman-Winesap -- while undoubtedly fine for eating out of hand -- were simply too firm to do well in a pie. I decided to try Golden Delicious next, and they were just that: delicious. Jonathans and Granny Smiths also work well, or a combination of whatever you like best. This was all very educational. I found that, because I was so thoroughly intimidated about keeping the dough at the correct cool temperature, I like using frozen shortening and butter. It grates into little bits quite easily. I ended up extending that courtesy to all the ingredients, as a matter of fact, and feel that it gives me some leeway in making sure that things stay appropriately chilled even if I do happen to lose track of time or get a little too enthusiastic in mixing the ingredients. Cornstarch is the old stand-by, but tapioca also makes an excellent thickener for apple pie. Be sure that you are buying granulated, instant tapioca (not small pearl or large pearl). The box may say granulated or instant (or both). If you can't find it, use small pearl or large pearl tapioca that you have powdered with a mortar and pestle (rather difficult, I've found) or food processor (very easy, especially if you do an entire box at a time). I have happy memories of the week of apple pies (I made five in seven days). Our son Henry had just turned 20 months old that week, and he learned to say "apple pie" and to like nibbling on a little slice for breakfast just like the grown-ups. The crust: 2 cups (8 ozs.) plus 2 to 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 9 Tablespoons Crisco vegetable shortening 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter 3 to 4 Tablespoons cider vinegar 1 to 2 Tablespoons ice water 1 Tablespoon sugar The filling: 6 to 9 apples, cored and peeled -- preferably a mix of Golden Delicious and Granny Smith 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 Tablespoons instant granulated tapioca 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg or mace 1/4 teaspoon allspice -- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Place the bowl and two table knives in the freezer. Put the Crisco and butter in a separate small bowl and place this bowl in the freezer as well. Stir together in a small measuring cup the minimum amounts of cider vinegar and water and place this in the freezer as well. Go do something else for about an hour to allow everything to chill thoroughly. -- Remove the Crisco and butter from the freezer and grate them together (a food processor fitted with a steel grating blade is best because it's so fast). Remove the flour mixture from the freezer as well, and cut the shredded shortening mixture into it a little at a time. Undermixing is preferable to overmixing; don't worry if the dough doesn't appear to be absolutely uniform. -- A tablespoon or so at a time, sprinkle the cider vinegar mixture onto the dough and work it in -- I like to start with the knives and finish with my fingers, again handling the dough as little as possible while still making sure that the liquid is well-distributed. If more liquid is needed after you have put in the minimum amount, add it only a teaspoon at a time. Too much liquid results in a tough dough, and I can tell you from experience that there is an extraordinarily fine line between just enough liquid and way too much. The dough should just hold together without any powdery or crumbly areas, and it should not be at all sticky. -- Divide the dough into two equal balls. Wrap each ball tightly in a double-thickness of plastic wrap and place the balls in airtight containers. Store the containers in the fridge for anywhere from 1 to 24 hours to rest and tenderize the dough. -- Cut the apples into smallish chunks or pieces (again, the food processor is very handy for this). You should have 4 to 6 cups of apple pieces when you are done. -- Put all other filling ingredients in the large bowl and toss apple pieces until completely coated. Set aside. Preheat oven to 425°. -- Remove the dough from the fridge. Dust the counter with a very little bit of flour. Handling the dough as little as possible, roll out one portion until it is a little larger than the pie pan. Do not roll in a back-and-forth motion; always start from the center and work towards the edge, lifting the pin before you reach the edge so as not to make the outer perimeter too thin. -- Place the rolled dough gently in the pie pan, taking care not to stretch it. Gently pat down any puffy areas. Put all the apple pieces into the pan and mound them slightly in the center. -- Roll out the second portion of dough and cut slits, decorative shapes, or lattice pieces -- whatever you want the top of your pie to look like (just be sure that there are open places where the steam can escape). Place it on top of the apple pieces, taking care not to stretch it, and crimp the edge of the dough all the way around to seal in the apples. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tablespoon of sugar. -- Place the pie on the lower middle rack of the oven. Bake at 425° for 15 to 20 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350° and bake another 40 to 45 minutes. Check halfway through to make sure the crust hasn't browned too much (you can cover it with a loose aluminum foil tent as soon as it gets to a color you like). Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Storage Everyone knows that apple pie doesn't keep! However, if everyone doesn't hooverize it right after you make it, it will keep reasonably well in the icebox overnight if you cover it loosely. Warm it up for breakfast the next day by sticking it on the upper-middle rack in a preheated 350° oven for about half an hour. OTHER FRUIT, NUT AND SPICE DESSERTS Catherine S. Vodrey is available for freelance writing, editing, fundraising/development, and photography projects at: Post Office Box 835 East Liverpool, Ohio 43920 USA E-MAIL: WordBanquet@gmail.com Thank you for visiting www.WordBanquet.com!