Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
Apple desserts often bring back childhood memories of delicious pies, crumbles, crisps, cakes and sauces. Several varieties of apples can be used, as long as they're firm enough to hold their structure through the baking process. If you can, use crab apples - the tart/sweet taste makes for a special taste experience, one you'll want to repeat. This recipe comes from a very old-fashioned book: the 1966 edition of The Laura Secord Canadian Cookbook, one that has travelled with me through many moves. The recipe for the dough comes from the New York Times.
Worried about how to peel such small apples? Don't be - slice the apples thinly and the peel will disappear as they cook. Really!Don't worry too much about efficiency, either. Slice quickly and toss away the cores - all those apples make it look like a daunting process, but it's not.
Use any pie dough recipe, or try the all-butter crust below. The pies freeze well, unbaked or baked. Here are more tempting apple desserts: Sharlotka - Russian Apple Cake, Apple Cake with Hints of Orange, Bavarian Apple Torte, Apple Crostata with Cheese Crust, Apple/Cranberry Crostata.
All Butter Pie Crust
Yield: Enough for one 9 inch (22 cm) pie
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (320 g.) flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (120 ml) ice water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 cup (236 grams OR 2 sticks) cold butter, cut into 1" cubes
Method
Put the cut butter cubes in the freezer for 15-60 minutes (longer is better).
In a measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the ice water and vinegar. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the butter, cutting it into pea-size pieces, using a knife or pastry cutter, or pulse it in a food processor.
Drizzle in about half of the ice water mixture and stir lightly with a fork until the flour is evenly moistened and the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems dry, add a little more ice water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. The dough will still look a big shaggy at this point. If you grab a small piece of dough and press it slightly with your hand, it should mostly hold together.
Dump the dough onto an unfloured surface. Using the heel of your hand, smear the dough a little at a time, pushing it away from you and working your way down the mass of dough to create flat layers of flour and butter. Gather the dough back together. Repeat this process a few times; the dough should still have some big piece of butter visible.
Cut the dough in half. Shape each pice into a disk and flatten. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap or in a covered container. Chill for at least an hour before rolling out. Longer is better.
Apple Mixture
Ingredients
Approximately 4-5 medium-sized apples, peeled OR enough crab apples to fill the pie plate, sliced thinly - peeling not necessary
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup (or to taste) lightly packed brown sugar OR maple sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
Method
Toss the sliced apples in the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the 1 tablespoon flour and toss again. Taste for flavour.
Method to Make the Pie
Preheat an oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease the pie plate.
Dust a counter top with flour. Cut the chilled dough in half, keeping the unused half in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use.
Roll out the dough thinly enough to lift into the greased pie plate, draping dough over the edges.
Spoon the apples into the pie plate. Dot the top of the apples with the 1 tablespoon of butter, cut into pieces and distributed evenly.
Roll out the top crust, sealing and fluting the edges. Slit or prick the top.
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes longer, until the pastry is golden and the fruit is tender.
Apple desserts often bring back childhood memories of delicious pies, crumbles, crisps, cakes and sauces. Several varieties of apples can be used, as long as they're firm enough to hold their structure through the baking process. If you can, use crab apples - the tart/sweet taste makes for a special taste experience, one you'll want to repeat. This recipe comes from a very old-fashioned book: the 1966 edition of The Laura Secord Canadian Cookbook, one that has travelled with me through many moves. The recipe for the dough comes from the New York Times.
Worried about how to peel such small apples? Don't be - slice the apples thinly and the peel will disappear as they cook. Really!Don't worry too much about efficiency, either. Slice quickly and toss away the cores - all those apples make it look like a daunting process, but it's not.
Use any pie dough recipe, or try the all-butter crust below. The pies freeze well, unbaked or baked. Here are more tempting apple desserts: Sharlotka - Russian Apple Cake, Apple Cake with Hints of Orange, Bavarian Apple Torte, Apple Crostata with Cheese Crust, Apple/Cranberry Crostata.
All Butter Pie Crust
Yield: Enough for one 9 inch (22 cm) pie
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (320 g.) flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (120 ml) ice water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 cup (236 grams OR 2 sticks) cold butter, cut into 1" cubes
Method
Put the cut butter cubes in the freezer for 15-60 minutes (longer is better).
In a measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the ice water and vinegar. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the butter, cutting it into pea-size pieces, using a knife or pastry cutter, or pulse it in a food processor.
Drizzle in about half of the ice water mixture and stir lightly with a fork until the flour is evenly moistened and the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems dry, add a little more ice water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. The dough will still look a big shaggy at this point. If you grab a small piece of dough and press it slightly with your hand, it should mostly hold together.
Dump the dough onto an unfloured surface. Using the heel of your hand, smear the dough a little at a time, pushing it away from you and working your way down the mass of dough to create flat layers of flour and butter. Gather the dough back together. Repeat this process a few times; the dough should still have some big piece of butter visible.
Cut the dough in half. Shape each pice into a disk and flatten. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap or in a covered container. Chill for at least an hour before rolling out. Longer is better.
Apple Mixture
Ingredients
Approximately 4-5 medium-sized apples, peeled OR enough crab apples to fill the pie plate, sliced thinly - peeling not necessary
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup (or to taste) lightly packed brown sugar OR maple sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
Method
Toss the sliced apples in the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the 1 tablespoon flour and toss again. Taste for flavour.
Method to Make the Pie
Preheat an oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease the pie plate.
Dust a counter top with flour. Cut the chilled dough in half, keeping the unused half in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use.
Roll out the dough thinly enough to lift into the greased pie plate, draping dough over the edges.
Spoon the apples into the pie plate. Dot the top of the apples with the 1 tablespoon of butter, cut into pieces and distributed evenly.
Roll out the top crust, sealing and fluting the edges. Slit or prick the top.
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes longer, until the pastry is golden and the fruit is tender.