I was reticent to have a blog entry called Apple Pie. To me, there seems to be a lot of cultural baggage around the words “Apple Pie” at least for Americans. I am reticent since the current political climate is contentious to say the least, whereby, how “American” one is or isn’t seems constantly called into question. Personally, I find such confrontations annoying; keeping people from focusing on deeper or more important issues such as working for economic justice, or just plain feeding the poor. “Apple Pie” is often found in sentences that also contain the adjective American. American or not, I’ll carry on.
As a sometime cook, and sometime baker (I am better than some things than others), one thing I happen to be better at is baking pies. I have not been making as much pie as I used to as of late for a number of unrelated reasons. I live alone; pie tends not to aid my weight management; my work is stressful, especially the last few weeks (months?) and time off is often just used resting doing as little as possible including NOT making pies.
Given that perfect storm of NOT making pies – I missed two of my favorite pie ‘seasons’ earlier this year, so because of that, I was bound and determined NOT to miss the current pie season that I enjoy. I missed rhubarb season in the spring – I even have my own patch of rhubarb right here in The City of Chicago. I missed tart Michigan cherry season in July. I did NOT make a blueberry pie this year, even though, really blueberry pies are secretly the easiest to make; and, through advancements in hybrids and transportation, blueberry season seems now to last all summer long.
The thing that is available now that is not available other times of year is locally grown heirloom apples. Sure, apples are available in our brightly lit, highly packaged supermarkets all year round. I can have an apple any time of year – whether from New Zealand, or somewhere in the U.S. All this feeds our need for instant gratification – our “instant” culture.
When I was young I remember when fruits had very particular and short seasons. I remember my parents or my grandmother buying a crate of Colorado peaches when they were shipped to the store. You couldn’t buy one peach.
So, basically today, I have been all about Apple Pie, particularly Heirloom Apple Pie.
The apples I get – I discovered a number of years ago at The Chicago Farmer’s Market in the loop. I use the vendor Nichols Farm & Orchard who bring their produce into Chicago from Marengo, IL.
The varieties of apples I purchase are:
Cox Orange Pippin – English Variety identified in 1830
Cox Orange Pippen
Golden Russet – American Variety (New York) identified in 1845
Golden Russet
Just to LOOK at these apples, unwaxed, not uniform, heterogeneous, and mottled; they are most gorgeous things. To use them in cooking is even more glorious.
A number of you who know me personally, know that I use the Apple Pie recipe from the 1975 Copyright of The Joy of Cooking.
My piecrust recipe – while simple and elegant is more than just the recipe – there is an art to it that can’t be explained in just words. When I have time, I can show you how to do it. If you plan on making a pie – use whatever piecrust makes you the least stressed-out; and if that means buying a pre-packaged one, so be it.
I mix these heirloom apple varieties together – the result with the sugar and the spice is a warm appley – winey flavor. I have made plenty of apple pies from supermarket apples (and if I have to make an apple pie from supermarket apples, I use Granny Smith). I sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on the outside of my crusts.
Since I went to the trouble to get the apples, and I was going to fire up the oven and all – I thought what I would do is not make one apple pie, but two. One for myself, and one to give away. Even though it takes more time to prepare, and twice the amount of ingredient - it takes about the same amount of preparation dishes and the same amount of cooking energy whether you are baking one or two pies. So really, it is more economical to bake more than one.
As a middle aged person living alone in the City – my friends tend to be middle aged persons living alone in the City. Generally no one cooks for me, except me. I try to foster an attitude of cooking more and giving away, because, when you least expect it food seems to come back to you. A brother in my religious community – The Brotherhood of Saint Gregory gave me two muffins he saved for me that he baked just that morning. So, I gave one of my pies away to a neighbor, in a pie plate I purchased just for that purpose. It doesn’t matter if I don’t get the pie plate back. (actually it was kind of a GIANT pie plate). The pie I kept was baked in a vintage FIRE-KING pie plate I found a number of years ago.
Go out there and cook for someone else and don’t expect anything back.
SOLI DEO GLORIA
As a sometime cook, and sometime baker (I am better than some things than others), one thing I happen to be better at is baking pies. I have not been making as much pie as I used to as of late for a number of unrelated reasons. I live alone; pie tends not to aid my weight management; my work is stressful, especially the last few weeks (months?) and time off is often just used resting doing as little as possible including NOT making pies.
Given that perfect storm of NOT making pies – I missed two of my favorite pie ‘seasons’ earlier this year, so because of that, I was bound and determined NOT to miss the current pie season that I enjoy. I missed rhubarb season in the spring – I even have my own patch of rhubarb right here in The City of Chicago. I missed tart Michigan cherry season in July. I did NOT make a blueberry pie this year, even though, really blueberry pies are secretly the easiest to make; and, through advancements in hybrids and transportation, blueberry season seems now to last all summer long.
The thing that is available now that is not available other times of year is locally grown heirloom apples. Sure, apples are available in our brightly lit, highly packaged supermarkets all year round. I can have an apple any time of year – whether from New Zealand, or somewhere in the U.S. All this feeds our need for instant gratification – our “instant” culture.
When I was young I remember when fruits had very particular and short seasons. I remember my parents or my grandmother buying a crate of Colorado peaches when they were shipped to the store. You couldn’t buy one peach.
So, basically today, I have been all about Apple Pie, particularly Heirloom Apple Pie.
The apples I get – I discovered a number of years ago at The Chicago Farmer’s Market in the loop. I use the vendor Nichols Farm & Orchard who bring their produce into Chicago from Marengo, IL.
The varieties of apples I purchase are:
Cox Orange Pippin – English Variety identified in 1830
Cox Orange PippenGolden Russet – American Variety (New York) identified in 1845
Golden RussetJust to LOOK at these apples, unwaxed, not uniform, heterogeneous, and mottled; they are most gorgeous things. To use them in cooking is even more glorious.
A number of you who know me personally, know that I use the Apple Pie recipe from the 1975 Copyright of The Joy of Cooking.
My piecrust recipe – while simple and elegant is more than just the recipe – there is an art to it that can’t be explained in just words. When I have time, I can show you how to do it. If you plan on making a pie – use whatever piecrust makes you the least stressed-out; and if that means buying a pre-packaged one, so be it.
I mix these heirloom apple varieties together – the result with the sugar and the spice is a warm appley – winey flavor. I have made plenty of apple pies from supermarket apples (and if I have to make an apple pie from supermarket apples, I use Granny Smith). I sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on the outside of my crusts.
Since I went to the trouble to get the apples, and I was going to fire up the oven and all – I thought what I would do is not make one apple pie, but two. One for myself, and one to give away. Even though it takes more time to prepare, and twice the amount of ingredient - it takes about the same amount of preparation dishes and the same amount of cooking energy whether you are baking one or two pies. So really, it is more economical to bake more than one.
As a middle aged person living alone in the City – my friends tend to be middle aged persons living alone in the City. Generally no one cooks for me, except me. I try to foster an attitude of cooking more and giving away, because, when you least expect it food seems to come back to you. A brother in my religious community – The Brotherhood of Saint Gregory gave me two muffins he saved for me that he baked just that morning. So, I gave one of my pies away to a neighbor, in a pie plate I purchased just for that purpose. It doesn’t matter if I don’t get the pie plate back. (actually it was kind of a GIANT pie plate). The pie I kept was baked in a vintage FIRE-KING pie plate I found a number of years ago.
Go out there and cook for someone else and don’t expect anything back.
SOLI DEO GLORIA
Well, I'm still anxiously awaiting my slice of
ReplyDeleteAmerica.