I made apple pie today. I didn’t need to look in the oven to see the apples baking in those flakey brown crusts; the smell of baking apples, sweet, tart, juicy, and smothered in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, filled my head with slices of steaming hot pie long before it came out of the oven. I could even smell a hint of my secret ingredient – caramel syrup. As my readers know, we’re serious about apples around the farm. We have over 40 varieties of apples thanks to my husband’s obsession with apple trees, and his interest in apple pie is impressive as well! Right now, our trees are just waking up for the coming season, most are too young to bear fruit this year but every tree is a future pie!
I say every tree is a future pie, but that’s not strictly true. Apples come in tart, sweet, hard, soft, assorted colors, and textures so that each of us will have a ‘go to’ apple for that family treat. My personal favorites for pies are Empire, McIntosh, and Cortland. All are red and reasonably tart. McIntosh apples originate in Canada are well-suited for wintry weather. Empire and Cortland apples are both more recent varieties of apples developed in New York, created from McIntosh and other apple varieties. There’s another apple called an Early Transparent that is, in my opinion, the best of all. It’s also somewhat hard to find. It’s a pale yellow apple with thin, translucent skin and sour white flesh. The apples are smaller and bruise easily. It easily has the best taste of any apple I know about for cooking. They are believed to have been brought to the United States from Russia, so another cold weather apple for me.
Like the apples, apple pies are distinctive to specific regions of the world and the United States. Remember that old saying, ‘as American as apple pie.’ Well, it’s not true. The apple pie’s origins are far older and much more complex. The oldest known pie recipe is from 14th century medieval England. It didn’t contain any sugar and included figs and raisins in the filling. Also, the crust wasn’t edible, it was more of a baked bowl. I’ve had a few of those, although not intentionally… British pies use tart apples and less sugar and spices with a full crust on top and bottom. Dutch apple pies use cinnamon, sugar and spices and have a thicker, sweeter crust and lattice top. French pies are called tarts and have a complex pastry crust with thinly sliced apples, butter, and minimal spices. From there, immigrants arrived in the United States and apple pie recipes began to reflect regional and cultural variations. Apple pie isn’t one recipe, it’s a reflection of our culture and history.
I’m going to share my apple pie recipe but first let’s see where your recipe’s American roots are. New England style pies are most similar to British recipes and sometimes include eating cheddar cheese on top; Mid-Atlantic (think Pennsylvania) apple pies are influenced by Pennsylvania Dutch settlers and include crumb toppings and heavier use of spices; Midwest pies use sweeter apples and top crust can be just about anything; Southern style apple pies are much sweeter, may include brown sugar or molasses and the apples are cooked into a softer, sauce-like texture. And then, there are Western/modern variations that include adding caramel, bourbon, and variations to support today’s needs – gluten-free crusts, organic apples, and (dare I say) the addition of ice cream on top. There is some disagreement about this practice, but there’s a strong theory that apple pie with ice cream was first introduced at the Chicago World Fair in 1893. For me, here on the little farm, I look at all those apple trees and marvel that apple pie has traveled long and far to find me here in Ohio.
Where does your perfect apple pie recipe originate? I’ve been trying to decide this myself. My pie contains tart apple slices with the peeling, brown sugar, cinnamon, caramel, a little butter, a little flour, and a crust straight from Aldi. Sometimes they’re real pretty, sometimes they’re not. They seem like a mix of about all regions. I confess that I originally left the peeling on the apples because I was too busy to peel them, but the peel is delicious and healthy, and now I wouldn’t have it any other way. A similar story for the crust. I can make a damn good crust but they’re messy and time-consuming. Just buy a crust. If anyone questions it, don’t give them any pie!
I’ve been thinking about how I learned to bake apple pie. My mom makes them now and then but the apple pie I remember most was my husband’s grandmother. Her pie was astounding and the recipe definitely didn’t match any of the historical descriptions. She made a soft, thick crust, almost cake-like, and the filling was homemade applesauce with spices, white sugar, and flour. She didn’t have a recipe of any kind. For the last 45 years, I’ve tried and failed to make that crust. I credit her pie with motivating me to find the perfect pie for our family. Finding what “home” tastes like at our house. I’m a transplant – moving from Central West Virginia to Northeast Ohio and I’m addicted to cooking and new foods. For me, baking apple pie isn’t just a cooking chore, it’s a mood and tradition that reflects our tastes and lifestyle. What’s yours?
Here is my apple pie recipe. I’ll apologize now. I’ve turned into one of those grannies without a ‘real recipe.’ I’ve love to try your recipes as well! Feel free to post them.
Hilda’s Apple Pie
Ingredients:
Tart apples (6-8 depending on the size of the pie pan), sliced with peeling on
Lemon juice (2 tbsp.)
Brown sugar (2/3 cup depending on type of apples. Less for sweet apples)
Cinnamon (about 2 tbsp. Enough to lightly coat the apple slices)
Flour (about 2 tbsp. Enough to coat the apples)
Butter (about 2 tbsp. real butter, cut into small squares)
Pie crusts (top and bottom)
Ice cream caramel in a bottle or jar
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Filling: wash and slice apples into med-thin slices with peeling on. Put in large bowl, add lemon juice, and stir gently to coat. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Stir gently to coat.
Crust: I use premade crust. Carefully put bottom crust in pie plate.
Add filling, then add dots of butter to top of filling. Next add 2-3 tbsp. of the caramel topping by squirting it on the filling. You can use more if you love caramel!
Crust: Carefully add top crust. Trim and seal edges. Cut your favorite pattern on top of crust.
Last, put another tbsp. of caramel in a small bowl and add a tbsp. of hot water. Stir well and then brush on top of your pie. This will look pretty and taste good!
Bake for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and continue to bake until apples are tender.
