i need to make more pies.
i was recently reminded what a happy place it is for me to take the time to slow down and make a pie. who needs little mini-zen sand gardens with tiny rakes. give me some dough and a bowl of fruit and a rolling pin, and i feel the stress melt away.
i loved the 2007 movie, waitress, for that reason. minus the unwanted pregnancy, the abusive marriage, and subsequent infidelity of the plot, i wanted to watch all of the fun pies she made to express herself. that i related to.
pies aren’t just for the holidays. why do we only end up making pies for thanksgiving day? i’d rather feed my family a dessert that is filled with several pounds of cooked, fiber-loaded fruit than a sugar-packed sweet any time of the year.
let’s start here, with this old fashioned apple pie. this one is mandatory in a pie arsenal.
muffin-baking has been my apparent go-to stress reliever for a while now. i may be shifting that over to pies. and if i really channel my inner-“waitress”, i will give them each a name.
Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 2 Kumquat's gluten-free pie crust or store-bought gluten-free raw crusts
- 8 apples I used Honeycrisp and Gala, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup demerara or turbinado sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla paste or extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
- extra demerara or turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Place rolled bottom crust in the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate.
- Roll top crust (cut out shapes, if desired) and set aside.
- Combine apples, lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, allspice, and vanilla in a large bowl. Transfer apple mixture to crust-lined pie plate, packing apple tightly.
- Place top crust on top of apple mixture. Crimp together with fork or fingers. (If no shapes are cut out, cut a few vents in the top of the pie with a knife.)
- Chill for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine egg and water in a small bowl.
- Brush egg mixture all over top of pie crust. Sprinkle with extra coarse (demerara or turbinado) sugar.
- Place pie on a lined baking sheet and bake at 350° for 75-90 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.
- Allow to cool before serving.