Apple Pie

This of course is the quintessential American pie. And, as it is the season, I decided to tackle it. My mom makes an apple pie. That is my standard. Other apple pies generally suck, they are soggy, bland, too sweet, with lousy crusts and not enough apple taste. My moms is good, but I thought there were a few things I would do differently.

I went back to James Beard. I have been doing some other pie research. I have a White House Cookbook from 1897, and that provided some good insight. And I have been reading a few others, but Beard just seems to give the best basis. I will try other versions later.

On Saturday I went to the farmers market. One of the vendors splits their apple versions into eating and cooking at their stand. I inquired into the difference. Staymans, one of my favorite eating apples, is in the cooking category. They are an east coast heirloom apple, very crisp and not too sweet.
The farmer (she is a female who I have discussed pies with before) said that the cooking apples, while can be good for eating, keep their shape while cooked.

Ah hah. This is a key to what I would change to my mom's Apple. I think the apples are too soggy and not apply enough. My mom uses lamo Costco granny smiths, large and with a very lackluster taste.

I bagged a bunch (of both kinds of the farmers apples) but kept them separate: Stayman, Mountaineer, etc. That afternoon, we had a dinner party to attend, so I made the pie.

I chose to do an amalgamation of James Beard, my mother and Deborah Madison (my favorite modern cookbook author).

• 6 medium sized mixed cooking apples (none Granny Smith) cored and sliced into decent but not too small wedges
• 3/4 c sugar (I wanted to use brown - but we were out)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 c of butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 c flour
• 1/4 cup of oats
• 1/4 c apple
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 a lemon

You make the crust (single) . I always do butter only, but will leave that for another day. Then cut up the apples. Place them in the pie crust (I always do 9 inch). Squeeze half a lemon over them. Add the remaining ingredients and cut the butter in. Sprinkle it over the top. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 50 minutes, until the apples are done and the juice is bubbling.

Interestingly I kept thinking the apples weren't done because they weren't as mushy as my mom's version. But it turned out they were. The pie turned out FAB. My addition was the oats and it made it more rustic and crunchy. The apples were excellent and apply.

I think it could have been less sweet. My husband remarked as such. And he said there could've been more lemon, maybe even somezest thrown in.

We brought it over to a friends who had just had a baby (another one, different then the lemon slice recipient). The new mom had made a request. And the pie got rave reviews.

Beard writes that, "So common has apple pie always been in this country that many old American cookbooks did not bother to give a recipe. It was taken for granted that every housewife had her own favorite."

Wow, how times have changed. I wonder how many women even know how to make an apple pie. And certainly none of them would want to be called housewife. As a mother, wife, business owner, MBA and friend I did enjoy the effort. I will continue to tweak the recipe until it is my own.