As American as Apple Pie

According to the Today Show, apple pie actually originated in England in the 14th century, but who am I to challenge the age-old saying, "as American as apple pie"? Funny, we don't typically think of apple pie as a 4th of July dessert; rather, pies are reserved for the Big Holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter.  Well, this year, I've broken that mold a bit and actually made an apple pie for Father's Day and now 4th of July....

Flashback to the summer before my junior year of college. I decided that I needed "A Thing." You know, something that would make me known and set me apart at all those fancy soirees I would eventually attend.  I decided I wanted to be the Girl Who Made Pies.  So, I embarked on a journey to figure out how to make my own pie crust.  Apple pie seemed like the easiest place to start, so I got on Food Network online and found a pie that looked easy enough.  And hours and a whole lot of mess later, I had a pie.  It was runny and the crust was tough, but I had made a pie.  As any baker knows, crust gets better every time you make it.  A little known side effect of pies is that boys LOVE them.  Kind of like my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, but in a much classier pearls-in-the-kitchen kind of way.  My best guy friends in college started asking me to make pies. I auctioned off a pie in an on-campus auction that was bought by the guys who lived across the street from us.  Now, both my dad and my FIL and of course Sparky beg for pies. 

If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you know I'm a perfectionist.  As such, I've searched and searched and searched for the perfect pie crust recipe.  In my cookbook, I have different variations marked for different types of pies. I've tried Crisco, vinegar, egg-based crust, butter, and my actual favorite, lard.  Only one time has a new crust flopped.  But every time, I go back to my tried and true all-butter crust.  It's not quite as light or flakey as a lard based crust, but let's face it, who really keeps lard on hand?

What's funny is that every time I make a crust, I always get this feeling that the dough will never come together. There's a certain point as I'm meticulously adding tablespoons of water and trying to get the dough to come together that  I feel a lump in my throat and think, this will never work. But alas, it does, and most of the time, the crust rolls out beautifully in the end.  I'm sure this is some sort of metaphor for life, but I'm too sun-drunk to realize it right now.

I make lots of pies, though my favorite is still apple, a la mode if there's ice cream on hand.  Sparky is like a master apple cutter, so the apples are paper-thin and layered, making my pie tender and meaty all at the same time.  I like to use a pie bird because I feel like the pie cooks more evenly inside.  And my one last little secret: nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice added to the apples. 

My pies never look perfect.  In fact, my beautifully-crimped pie edges always puff up. They never stay pretty and crimped, and my dough often puffs up and slides down the sides of my pie plate. I've learned, though, that this makes them look homemade. No one will ever accuse me of buying a frozen pie crust (not that there's anything wrong with that--cue Seinfeld reference). 

Because it's the 4th of July and I'm proud to be an apple pie making American, I'm going to share my recipe.  Happy 4th :)

Crust:
2 1/2 C flour
1 C butter, chilled (I've done half lard before as well)
1 t salt
1 t sugar
approx. 10 T water

I put all dry ingredients in food processor and then add the butter in chunks and pulse until it forms a cornmeal type of consistency (or little peas of butter). I add 8 T of water and pulse, then I dump the mixture into a bowl and finish adding the water (as much as you need to form a ball of dough) and mixing by hand.  I wrap in plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for at least 45 minutes, though I think overnight is best

Pie Filling:
6-7 cups thinly sliced apples. I use a blend of Granny Smith, Jonagold (or whatever is in my house), and at least 2 honeycrisp apples. HC apples are expensive but worth it.  Slice apples paper thin
1 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2-1 C flour depending on how watery your apples are

Mix all ingredients together.  For best results, layer in pie crust, do not just dump apples in. 

When I'm ready to roll my dough, I take out the dough ball, cut it in half and put half back in the fridge until I'm ready to roll the top crust.  Let dough sit for about 15 minutes until it gets easy to roll.  Flour your rolling board and pin (mine are both granite).  I also let the rolling pin chill in the freezer before rolling. I think it helps keep the dough cool.  Roll dough and lay in pie plate, making sure to have enough overhang to attach to the top crust.  Layer in apples. On top of apples, take 2 additional tablespoons of butter and portion them out across the top of the apples.  I make about 5 little slices from 2 T of butter.  Roll your top crust and place over pie.  Crimp edges together and cut off excess dough.  Unless you are using a pie bird, you will need to make slits in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape.  Bake 25 minutes then cover edges with pie guard or foil and bake 25-45 more minutes depending on pie. 

Enjoy :) and here's the pie I made today...I tried to make it more American...not sure it worked very well