Stand By for Apple Pie

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Cake Day at School. These remarkable cakes were designed by cousins Erin and Michael, both aged 4. Each cake is made from a single 9-inch ‘round’. In the case of the butterfly, the 9-inch round cake was cut in half across its diameter and the rounded edges

Draft

Flaky and with steam rising.

This weekend I found some dough in my freezer that had been made with good old Maple Leaf lard, (see post dated Oct 2, 2012 for the recipe). I also had some very crisp, very red Empire apples hanging about and I was snowed in, so naturally my thoughts turned to apple pie. I’m not sure why I haven’t posted this Canadian staple previously since pie- making is one thing I’m pretty good at. Perhaps it’s because I don’t use a recipe. 

The amount of each ingredient used in a fruit pie filling is highly dependent on the size of the pie plate, both its depth and diameter. I would not recommend using the small diameter, shallow aluminum pie plates that are available in grocery stores since they hold such a small amount of filling and what little there is,  is almost certain to bubble over on to the floor of the oven.  This results in way, way too much oven cleaning. A good quality Pyrex or metal pie plate will last a lifetime of baking and is well worth the initial investment. The following list of ingredients is generally what I would use in making a deep-dish 9 inch pie.

Ingredients:

- 6-8 large crisp apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 cm. thick slices

- 2/3 cup white sugar

- 2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

- 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon (depending on your taste; I prefer more rather than less)

- 1 tablespoon of butter

- 1 tablespoon of cream

 
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. 

On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out a top and bottom crust for the pie. Use the pie plate as a template for measuring the size of your crusts. Each crust should be about 1/4 cm. thick. Don't overwork the pastry dough as you roll it out, or it’ll be tough rather than flaky when baked. The circle of dough does not have to be perfect; things can be patched. Ensure that there is at least some “overhang” to the bottom crust as you place it into your pie plate.

In a large bowl, mix together the sliced apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon, then dump the mixture into the pie plate containing the bottom crust. Use a knife to cut small bits of butter and distribute the butter evenly over the top of the fruit. Place the top crust on the fruit and pinch the edges of the top and bottom crusts together to form a tight seal. Cut away any obviously excess dough, then cut a vent in the top crust to allow steam to be released during the baking process; for an apple pie, I would usually cut a vent in the form of the letter “A”. Before popping the pie into the oven, use a pastry brush to brush the surface with a bit of cream.

It can take up to an hour to bake a large fruit pie. You'll know the pie is done when the crust is golden and flaky and the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges of the pie. Depending on how hot your oven is, you may wish to keep the temperature at 375 degrees for the entire baking time or reduce it to 350 degrees after the first 15 minutes of baking.


Editorial Note: Some people swear by Macintosh apples for pie. I recommend against the mushy Macintosh and suggest that Empires or Spies are the perfect pie apples. It’s all a matter of taste.

My husband said that this was the best apple pie I’d ever made.