Apple Pie

My grandpa remembers vividly the first time he met his mother in-law, my Great-Grandma Ardian. Not knowing what his favorite pie might be, she simply decided to make five different kinds: Banana Cream, Coconut Cream, Apple, Chocolate, and Bavarian Cream. And according to Grandpa, over the next two days, he "ate ALL of them- or at least major portions of them."
Matt's great-great-grandma mentioned Sunday pie and ice cream regularly in her journals. Growing up, my Mother in-law remembers always having pie or ice cream with raspberries for dessert at her own Grandmother's house. Matt's grandpa, a farm boy himself, never had cake for his birthday- cherry pie was his preference. Pie feels like a part of our heritage and our family history.

My mom made one pie regularly: Chocolate. It is Dad's favorite, and so for special occasions, she lovingly makes it for him. I probably saw her make it a hundred times. After making the crust and rolling it out, she would carefully and precisely pinch the edges to make a beautiful ruffled effect. She cooked the pudding and whipped her own cream, never taking shortcuts for Dad's favorite pie. And when she was done, she'd take up all the pie crust scraps and cook them on a cookie sheet. Hot from the oven, she sprinkled them with sugar and we'd sit on the kitchen counter nibbling them like cookies.

The other morning, while Matt was on call, I set out to make my apple pie recipe. Making pie is a sure way to make it feel like fall and make the house feel homey. With Lark Rise to Candleford to keep me company, I peeled and cut the apples and delicately mixed the pie crust, just like so many generations have before me. While this is not entirely a family recipe, baking pie makes me feel that familial kinship.
What makes this recipe so delicious is the caramelized filling. From the original recipe, I also add the right amount of cinnamon and substitute in my grandmother's familiar pie crust (making my own pie crust cookies with the excess). 

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Apple Pie

Grandma's Pie Crust
 2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup Crisco
1/3 cup cold water
(I double this recipe when I do a lattice)

1. Mix together all dry ingredients.
2. Add Crisco, and cut in until evenly distributed. It should create a crumbly mixture.
3. Add the cold water, little bits at a time. Make sure the water is cold! Do not over work the dough! You don't want it too wet or too dry.

Apple Pie Filling
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
8 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

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1. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Brush lattice with 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbsp of water.
   
2. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft. Cover it with foil after it starts getting its color. Sprinkle with sugar immediately after you pull it from the oven.