Today in the orchard
With Thanksgiving only five days away, everyone in the world must be thinking about that most quintessential of American foods - the pinnacle of culinary creativity, the one food item that combines all five major food groups (dough, spices, butter, sugar and Malus domestica). What else? The apple pie!
There are many recipes for pie crusts. Some are incredibly flakey and delicious, but I fear that they can wind up being a distraction. I’m a fan of the KISS pie crust (Keep it simple, stupid.) The simpler the crust, the more you can taste the number one ingredient: the apple. So I use about 1 1/2 c flour, a stick of butter and a few tablespoons of water. Make a ball of dough, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Then roll it out thin, and you’re done. If your pie pan is bigger, use 2 c flour and a bit more butter. “It’s better with butter.”
And what about the spices and sugar? I also espouse to the KISS plan on both. The best plan is to use none. Not that I don’t love them, especially nutmeg—one of the most wonderful smells in the world. But “less is more” nonetheless. I do use cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, but in minuscule amounts, about 1/8 tsp of each. It’s sort of the homeopathic version of pie spices, or as we say these days, micro-dosing. With the sugar, again micro-dose. If the recipe says a cup, cut it in thirds or quarters.
But what about the apples? Help is on the way... tomorrow.