American Apple Pie

Just a few weeks ago it was Sukkot, a festival in which we are told to rejoice, and at the time I was filled with hope and optimism, looking forward to the end of the contentious upcoming presidential elections .

Now, with Thanksgiving rapidly approaching , the joy of this great American holiday feels somewhat diminished. Don’t get me wrong, I know that I still have plenty to be thankful for.  But right now, Thanksgiving feels a little less celebratory, and I feel robbed of the excitement and anticipation that I typically feel.  I love everything about this holiday, including all that I associate with it, like two of the Rockwell paintings, Golden Rule and Freedom from Want,  of course The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, and the children’s book by Barbara Cohen, Molly’s Pilgrim, the story of a young Jewish immigrant named Molly who learns that her family’s traditions are just as much a part of the American fabric as that of the Pilgrims.

This Thanksgiving we are having a smaller group, and as always we will go around our table and ask every\one what they are thankful for.  It may be harder to formulate than in previous years, but hopefully we can find the words. 

Right now in spite of the fact that we are all troubled and worried and stressed, I am offering you  a recipe for apple pie. I made this  a few weeks ago after taking a trip to Oak Glen and picking some Winesap apples.  It is an easy, simple recipe, and of course not many things can offer such immediate comfort as can be found in a bite of warm, freshly baked pie.  A recipe that is an American tradition and that is one thing I am very thankful for. 

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks plus 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter sliced in 1″ pieces

1/2 cup ice water

7 large Winesap apples peeled, cored and cut into 1″ chunks

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor, pulse 2 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt. Add 2 sticks of the sliced butter and pulse till mixture resembles peas. Slowly add ice water through feeding tube, and pulse till combined but do not over mix!!   Move dough onto wax paper and form into a ball, then divide in half, flatten into two round discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 15 minutes, or longer. 

In a bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar and the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. On a floured surface, roll each disc of dough into a round big enough to fit into a pie plate with enough of an overhang to fold up and over the top crust.  Grease a 10-inch glass pie plate, add bottom crust, and brush the overhang with water. Spoon in the apples and break up the remaining tablespoon of  butter into bits and place on top of apples. Place second crust over the filling and fold overhang up over crust.  Crimp or press together with tines of a fork. Cut a few slits in the top crust for steam to escape or add a pie bird! 

Bake the pie in the center of the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cover the edge of the pie if it begins to darken.

Enjoy and Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Irene

P.S. This recipe is dairy but what a great dish to make for breakfast the morning after Thanksgiving.