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IF you
were schooled in Reading with the “David and Ann” books,
there are scenes situated in an American home that are
still remembered. I used to dream of drinking fresh milk
like Ann did, and someday growing up to be like the mom
wearing heels and nice clothes at home and baking
cookies and pies for the kids. To me this “Americana”
was the life to lead. Little did I knew then that I was
Asian…but I pursued the baking thing. And I didn’t stop
till I learned to make good apple pie.
My
toughest critic was my dad, who spared no words when the
product turned out bad, but was as generous with praise
when I got it right. Based on my budget, the apple pie
would depend on the ingredients. There’s no better
insurance for the dough than to use Crisco. Plus, I also
learned another trick to lightening and “fattening” the
dough—and that’s to add some cream to it. Half the apple
pie woes are gone with the use of ever-dependable
sure-thing shortening Crisco.
Next
would be the kind of apples to buy. In the book
Cooking for Dummies by Brian Miller and Marie Rama (IDG
Books, 2000, Second Edition), the best apples
recommended are the tart and crunchy Granny Smiths,
which are available in our groceries. These are the
medium-sized bright green apples which are tart/a bit
sour when eaten raw. They are ideal for the apple-pie
project. Granny Smiths are available year-round. With
Crisco and Granny Smiths on hand, the rest of the
apple-pie ingredients are easy to source. Let’s
begin....
The
classic
THE
American Apple Pie should be double crust, that is: the
bottom crust to hold the gooey apple mix and the top
crust to cover the whole ensemble that will be baked.
There can be several ways with crust and limitless
versions of the apple-pie filling. Some doughs are of
salted butter, some are not. The no-fail crusts would,
of course, be using Crisco, while others use
butter...hmmm.
Apples
are cored then quartered. Then some opt to dry toast
them in the oven or use them straightaway. Cinnamon is
the star spice and the amount varies according to
personal preference but one can also add nutmeg. As
American as it can be, democracy reigns in the choice of
crusts and apple filling treatments.
Here is
the Classic Apple Pie recipe and I’m sneaking in two
more crust recipes, in case you feel like rolling in
dough!
Classic
American Apple Pie
(recipe
adapted from The Family Circle: All-time Favorite
Recipes, Doubleday Books, 1999)
Double
Crust
2 ½ cup
all-purpose flour
1 tsp
salt
½ cup
(1/2 bar) cold butter, cut into chunks
½ cup
Crisco
6 to 7
tbsp cold, cold water
Mix
flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Cut in the butter
and shortening with a pastry blender (or two forks) till
the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle cold water,
1 tbsp at a time, over mixture, mixing lightly with a
fork after each addition. The pastry should be just
moist enough to hold together. Divide pastry in half;
shape each half into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes before
rolling.
Apple
Filling
2/3 cup
sugar
2 tbsp
cornstarch
½ tsp
cinnamon
Pinch
nutmeg
Pinch
ground cloves
6 whole
apples, assorted kinds, if you like
1 tbsp
fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp
butter
1 egg,
slightly beaten
Heat
oven to 450°F. Roll out one dough for the bottom crust.
Refrigerate while making the filling.
Combine
sugar, cornstarch, spices. Peel, core and slice apples
1/8-inch thick. Melt butter and toss in apples just to
slightly cook. Drizzle lemon on apples, then toss in
sugar mixture. Melt butter in skillet and toss apples
just to heat through. Scrape all the sugars and butters
and pack into the pie pan. Cover with other dough
(rolled out) and leave one-inch overhang. Crimp edges.
Brush crust with egg. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes, then
at 350°F, 45 to 55 minutes. If dough turns brown too
quickly, use
a
foil tent to cover brown spots.
Now
let’s all sing together: “So...bye-bye Ms. American
Pie/Brought my Chevy to the levee but the levee was
dry....” Tra-la-la. |
