As American As Apple Pie…

Pie. The word usually summons culinary visions of yummy goodness, sweet or savory. Unless that word is preceded by the word “cow.” Then, it’s a far less than enticing meal. Hand pies are also a different story. Often called empanadas or turnovers depending on their ingredients, it’s still a folded piece of dough over a filling. It’s just hand-sized, obviously.

The recipe has had many iterations over the years. Some pies are open with a solid filling like pumpkin or pecan. Some have another topping like meringue or whipped cream. And, some are topped with another layer of dough like peach, blueberry, or chicken for the savory portion of our pie story.

But, let’s not forget about the tart equation. Tarts are often lumped together with the pies in the dessert section. As open pies, their crusts tend to be different—cornmeal or graham cracker, for instance. Tarts are often baked in a fluted pan to give it that scalloped edge. Fancy little things, aren’t they?

The galette is the French solution to having a pie a little quicker. According to some food historians, the galette was probably the earliest attempt at pie. Over the years, baking pans were added as was the top layer. But a galette is still dough rolled out with filling, a little bit of sugar and butter, and tossed together at the edges. The folded edges rather than a top layer mean one less extra step (and less dough to make). Bake it and you’re done, my friend!

Unlike other fruit pies, apple is one of those recipes that if you say you don’t really like it, you’re just flat-out un-American. Like, what’s wrong with you, man? Everybody likes apple pie. There are some who drool over pie the moment you mention it. Others, like former Slate writer Nathan Heller, believe pie is nothing more than a “fragile dough” on your plate that “literally leaks fruit.”

Courtesy of The New York Times

While I’ve never been forced to eat pie at a backyard barbecue, I can’t say that I eat it all that often. Frankly as a home cook, it has eluded me. I’ve always seen baking a pie as this arduous task that only people with a lot of time on their hands can produce. Today, I finally carved out the time to make an apple pie. Gotta say, it wasn’t all that bad. A little time-consuming, yes. But honestly, I’ve had worse. A certain Thomas Keller recipe for salmon cornets comes to mind…

Here’s the recipe:

Dough:

2 ¼ c. all-purpose flour

½ lb. butter (2 sticks)

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 TB crème fraiche

ice water

Filling:

4 lb. apples (Golden, Granny, Cortland, Macoun)

½ lemon, squeezed for juice

½ c. sugar (plus more for sprinkling)

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp allspice

½ tsp ground ginger

pinch of salt

5-6 knobs of butter

1 egg, plus water for wash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the dry ingredients for the dough in a food processor. Pulse a few times to incorporate. Add the butter until granular and then add the egg. Stream in the ice water a little bit at a time until the dough is soft and pliable. Roll out onto a floured surface. Knead for 5-10 minutes, adding extra flour if need be. Wrap in plastic and let rest for at least an hour.

Meanwhile, peel, cut, and core the apples into chunks, wedges or slices (your preference) into cold water with lemon juice. Let sit while you roll out the bottom layer of the pie. Place in a greased 9” round baking dish and push the sides down so that it takes the shape of the pan. Drain the apples and mix with the spices, sugar, and salt. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish. Roll out the top layer and place it on the baking dish. Use your rolling pin to pinch down the sides to separate excess dough. Crimp the edges, brush on egg wash, dust with a little more sugar. Cut vents in the top for steam. Put in a baking sheet to catch any extra drippings. Should be good in about 45-60 minutes.

Enjoy a la mode or just by itself. Actually, I may eat it over the counter standing up…