Thursday, October 1, 2009

October Challenge: Apple Pie

Those who know me are going to be shocked that I'm posting a challenge that doesn't involve copious amounts of chocolate, but it is impossible to ignore apples in October. I have a special place in my heart for apple pie, as it is the only recipe my grandmother ever taught me to make before she passed away. I lived in Manhattan after college, and one of my friends took me apple-picking in upstate New York the first fall I lived there(thanks Pete!). I came home with way more apples than I knew what to do with. So, I got on the phone to my grandmother in Colorado and she walked me through making the crust (after a trip to the 3rd Avenue A&P to search for lard), the filling, and the streusel topping. I made four apple pies that night and proudly distributed them at work the next day. Every year since, I try to make a couple of apple pies in the fall.

I'll leave the recipes up to you all, since my recipe goes like this: for the pie crust, throw flour at a stick of lard until it feels right; for the filling, pile cinnamon and sugar and brown sugar on top of sliced apples until it looks right, and cover the whole thing with streusel - a mixture of a stick of butter, a cup of sugar, and a cup of flour chopped together with a knife. (Now can you see why I'm advising you to choose your own recipe?)

I know it disgusts some people, but I can't stress enough the difference lard makes in getting a flaky pie crust. :) Can't wait to see what you guys come up with, and I'm looking forward to lots of photos of delicious looking apple pies...

10 comments:

Rena said...

I'm going to make this
http://desertcandy.blogspot.com/2007/10/overnight-apple-cake.html
I have been sitting on this recipe for way too long and it looks yummy! It's not quite apple pie but it's close enough :) Thanks for the challenge, Laura!

Katy ~ said...

Grins. I baked an apple pie a week ago, just haven't posted it yet. Love apple pie!!

Tina said...

Oh Bless You Child! What they call Apple Pie over here just makes me cringe. I'm going to try and find the best, most AMERICAN styly apple pie and make it up.

I have no clue if I can find lard here - undoubtedly they call it something different and I'll never make the translation - but I can't wait!! :)

jp said...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandma-Oples-Apple-Pie/Detail.aspx?strb=1

I am making this one

but still have to make my sacher torte tomorrow! :)

Dorrie said...

Apple pie sounds lovely! Thanks for choosing such a nice fall celebration. I'll make that once I make the sacher torte and get that all eaten!

Gina said...

Sounds like a nice change of pace...I'll be making this applie pie recipe http://southernfood.about.com/od/applepies/r/bln109.htm which is an Apple Bourbon pie with the Joy of baking pie crust recipe, since the southernfood.about.com recipe just says "pie crust"...getting fancy for my first blog here...

Velva said...

I can't bake to save my life (laugh) but, oh boy, do I love apple pie! I am so looking forward o your next blog post about folks homemade apple pies!

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

How flexible is apple pie. I have a host of apple desserts I want to make but pie wasn't one of them. Are desserts, not cake, acceptable or do you want a pie. If you want a pie, you will get a pie and I will love every bite.

Muneeba said...

You're right .. can't ignore the abundance of apples .. waiting to see what everyone comes up with .. I predict lots of mouthwatering photos!

Laura Olson said...

Sweet and Savory, I say go for whatever apple dessert floats your boat. I was actually going to leave this open, because there are a variety of apple desserts I want to make, too. :)