Photo by Kasey Koski
It's a late season for apples, but I just can't hold off anymore. I was at the Farmer's Market this morning and saw early Golden Delicious and thought, "Hooray! I can finally send out the apple pie recipe!"
My grandmother grew up in Cowiche, WA, outside of Yakima. Nana was an amazing cook but an even better baker; she was probably making this pie from the local apples since she was very young. More than 15 years after Nana’s death, the whole family still talks about the magic she created in the kitchen. We use her pie recipes at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they're best in September and August, when Golden Delicious are harvested. Her homemade pie crust recipe is below the apple pie recipe.
Nana's Apple Pie
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves 8
2 single uncooked pie crusts (see Nana’s Pie Crust recipe below)
5 large Golden Delicious apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
Garnish
Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or sharp cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 425°F. Carefully place an uncooked pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan and fill the pan with the sliced apples. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the apples. Divide the butter into 10 small pieces and place them on top of the apple mixture. Roll out the second crust, place it over the apples and cut off all but about a 3/4 inch of dough around the edges. Seal the edges with your fingers or a fork.
Cut diagonal slits in top crust for venting during cooking. Brush the top of the pie with milk and sprinkle with a little sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes at 425°F. Lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for 1 hour or until top is golden brown.
Serve the pie hot with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream (see recipe on page 79) or topped with a slice of cheese.
Nana's Pie Crust
Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Set time: 45 minutes to 12 hours
Cook time: 30 minutes (optional)
Makes two single crusts
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Crisco
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup cold water
Combine the flour, salt and shortening in large bowl. Blend with a pastry blender, pastry cutter or knives until crumbly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, cider vinegar and water. Drizzle over the flour mixture and mix thoroughly. The dough will be soft and a little sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour.
Shape the dough into two patties, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 45 minutes, or in the refrigerator overnight.
Unbaked crust
When chilled, take one patty out of the refrigerator and roll out on a floured surface. The crust should be slightly bigger than the pie pan. When you’re finished with the first crust, repeat process with the second crust.
Fill the crust with the filling and bake according to the pie recipe.
Pre-baked crust
For a pre-baked crust, preheat the oven to 350°F. Press the crust firmly into the pie pan and freeze the crust until chilled, or for at least 30 minutes. This keeps the crust from slipping down the sides of the pan.
When the pie crust is chilled, line it with parchment paper, wax paper or aluminum foil. Fill the crust at least two-thirds full with weights: dry beans, rice, or stainless-steel pie weights. Bake with the weights for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool for a few minutes and carefully remove pie weights. Poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust with a fork and bake for an additional 10 minutes without the weights until the crust is golden brown. Cool completely before filling. You can cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil during baking to keep the edges from drying out or burning.
This recipe was first published in Savoring Chelan: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes.
No comments:
Post a Comment