Sandy-gram

[#1]

I grew up on a farm in Michigan. It wasn't a huge one, but we had chickens, the occasional cow, lots of vegetables—and an apple orchard. How spoiled I was…and, of course, being a barefooted know-it-all, I didn't appreciate what I had...crisp fresh apples plucked from the tree.

Back then, we picked bushels of apples that were promptly canned, frozen or stored in crates in our large, dark, semi-finished (in other words, scary) basement. My sister, three brothers and I brought our lunches to school every day. It was pretty standard fare…a PB&J sandwich, a homemade cookie and—every day—an apple.

We joked that the apples were the perfect weight and size to serve as ballast as we pitched our lunch sacks into the trash. The resounding clunk confirmed we'd hit our mark.

Today, I absolutely love apples. This time of year,  as markets begin brimming with heaping baskets of this delightful fruit,  my heart hurts...and I feel a twinge of guilt at all the waste from my younger days.  I've been trying to absolve myself a bit by sharing the virtues of the Great American Apple with anyone who'll listen. Perhaps no other food is as perfect or versatile. What else is scrumptious in savory, sweet or tart recipes? No other fruit is as yummy in baked goods, as tasty in salads, or can be pressed into delicious cider.

Apples have a long and sometimes turbulent history—starting with being misidentified as Adam and Eve's "forbidden fruit." They were a staple in the diets of our ancestors, from the earliest cavemen to Cleopatra's gang, and then on to sustain the good folks in China, Greece and all of Europe.

The American colonists, finding only crab apples in their new home, quickly began harvesting young saplings. Johnny Appleseed took this initiative to heart and planted over a hundred thousand square miles of orchards. Some of these trees still survive today.

And so I humbly apologize to the McIntoshs, the Galas, the Fujis and the Red Deliciouses. I'm truly sorry to the core!

Ali's Not-Yet-Famous Apple Pie

In searching for the best apple pie recipe, we found local home baker Ali McKenzie. She may not have the notoriety of a Paula Deen or Martha Stewart—but she makes one of the best darn pies we've ever eaten. (And we've eaten plenty!) Enjoy.

Pie filling ingredients:
Tip: Prepare your pie crust before making filling. (See recipe below.)

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp. corn starch
• 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• 6 average-size Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored & sliced)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour and cornstarch to form a paste. Add water, both sugars, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer until mixture thickens a bit. Mix apples into syrup.

Pour apple mixture into pie crust. (Save some of the syrup to brush on top of the crust.) Cover your pie with either a full or lattice crust. Bake for 1 hour or until apples are soft

Ali's foolproof pie crust ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (chilled)
• 1/2 cup shortening (frozen or chilled)
• 1/4 cup ice water
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar

Directions: Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. With a pastry hand blender (an important tool for pie crust—they're inexpensive and easy to find), cut in the shortening and butter until mixture is crumbly. Mix lemon and ice water together. Drizzle a few tablespoons at a time over flour, tossing mixture until dough comes together. Gather dough together into a ball, wrap in plastic, and chill for about an hour before rolling. Roll out dough and place in pie plate. Fill with desired filling and bake.

[#2]

There's nothing like a fresh, crisp, juicy apple and the sound of the first bite.. mmmmm... I like Golden Delicious best, myself.  And Hot Apple Pie with lots of Vanilla Ice Cream ..  Now, look at that, I'm  hungry!  *TO THE STORE>>>

[#3]

I love to bake and plan to try SandyK's recipe soon. I was given a good reciple for pie crust that comes from the Silver Palate cookbook. It uses a Cuisinart (or related machine) which makes things really quick. I'll look up the recipe and share it soon.

[#4]

Oh my gosh, that whole article was mouthwatering, and the recipe just put me in the mood for apple pie. My dad taught me to make apple pie when I was about twelve and years later when I make it I still think of him. One year I was living out of the country and called him to refresh my recipe memory because I was making a pie for friends coming over. That is perhaps one of those quintessentially American things, apple pie. Anything else you can think of that's uniquely ours?

[#5]

I don't know how I missed this old post by petgirl, but peanut butter comes to mind as quintessentially American. Pumpkin pie, too. Also, we tend to ask for coffee with our dinners which Europeans would never do!

[#6]

I have been baking apple pies for years but I like Ali's idea of mixing the ingredients together to make a syrup to pour over apples - great idea - all the spices would be evenly distributed as well as the thickening ingredients.  I will for sure try this recipe the next time I make an apple pie!  Sounds yummmy.