 |
We came home from our travels just in time for the Fourth of July. Since it is the height of the summer holidays, many families take their vacation at this time of the year. This year, we are glad to be home in time for the holiday to see the local city fireworks display. Though still a little jet lagged, I decided to make an apple pie, something quintessentially American, as a reminder of our home and country. It is wonderful to travel but it is even greater to come home. So pass the ketchup and mustard, for we’ll be having hamburgers and apple pie!
Not too long ago I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com which had rave reviews. Though I have a tried and tested apple pie recipe, I took a chance and made this one for a party we were going to. The pie turned out beautifully and everyone loved it! It had just the right amount of sweetness with a thick, rich caramel like sauce which gave it great flavor.
After going through the reviews, I did make a few adaptations to it. I used a variety of apples which gave the filling a little more texture. I added some apple pie spice and reduced the amount of sugar used. I also changed the method by which the sauce was mixed with the apples. Instead of pouring the sauce over the lattice crust, I layered it with the apples so that the apples will be more evenly coated. The original recipe is called Apple Pie by Grandma Opel and you can find the recipe here. Below is my adapted version of it. The crust recipe is one I have used many, many times. I sometimes change the flours and proportions of ingredients used depending on the kind of pie I am making as in Turkey Potpie and Spinach Quiche.
Apple Pie
1 recipe pastry for double crust pie
1 large Granny Smith apple
1 large Golden Delicious apple
3 small Gala apples
½ tsp apple pie spice
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
Egg wash
Core, peel, and thinly slice all apples. In a large bowl, toss sliced apples with apple pie spice. Set aside.
Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add brown sugar and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer till mixture is thick and bubbly, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove.
Roll out one dough ball on a lightly floured surface into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Gently transfer dough by wrapping it round the rolling pin and unrolling it onto an 9 inch pie plate. Line pie plate with the dough and trim pastry to ½ inch beyond pie plate.
Arrange a layer of sliced apples on pastry lined pie plate. Spoon a third of cooked sauce onto apples. Repeat to form three layers.
Roll out the other dough ball. Cut pastry into ¾ inch strips. Weave strips over filling for lattice crust. Press end of strips into edge of pie plate. Fold bottom pastry over strips, seal, and crimp. Brush lattice with egg wash.
If desired, cut out stars using a cookie cutter. Brush stars with egg wash. Sprinkle a third of the stars with paprika, a third with sesame seeds, and the final third with poppy seeds. Arrange stars on lattice decoratively.
Bake in a 350˚F oven for 55 to 60 minutes until apples are cooked.
Pastry for Double Crust Pie
2 cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup butter or shortening
7 to 8 tbsp cold water
½ tsp salt
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. With a pastry blender or two butter knives, cut in shortening until flour mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in cold water one tablespoon at a time until dough comes together. It is okay if there are still some loose flour. Do not overwork dough. Divide dough in half and form each half into a ball. Wrap in plastic and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
It is great served with some vanilla ice cream.
This post is for the America Day event hosted by Casey at Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!
Update: Fireworks at our city at 10:00pm CDT
My other blog
Brava! That's a gorgeous pie! I have a dirty little secret LOL I can't make decent apple pie, though I really enjoy a huge slice with vanilla ice cream! This looks fantastic – I love the caramel sauce variation! Very nice! I will have to give this one a try.
Happy Fourth of July
The pie looks great but I love the beanie baby! I used to collect those!!!
Your pie looks delicious! And that's definitely a twist with the sesame, poppy seeds and paprika. What could be more American than apple pie on the 4th! Have a great day!
WOW! Your apple pie looks delicious with the caramel sauce. How I wish I can be there with you to enjoy this great day.
i must say you have creative mind, it looks delicious too.
That's a decadent version of apple pie with the caramel sauce! Wow! Happy 4th to you!
oh wow this looks amazing! I love apple pies!
Lovely pie and great presentation. I love the sauce too. Happy 4th of July to you too.
Happy 4th of July!! Love the bits of sprinkle on top.
Cute and yum! I know you need the kitchen and sweets therapy after such a long trip. Belated happy 4th of July
The apple pie looks scrumptious, love especially the extra sprinkles atop.
I like the different apples you used in your recipe and your crust turned out beautiful (it's the most important part!
) Welcome home, Biren, and hope your family had a lovely holiday.
I like the lattice look of the pie and the different colours. Good job!
wow loooks too good…never tried before…lovely clicks dear.
Happy 4th of July! What a nice apple pie for celebrations.
As I saw the first couple of pictures, I was hoping that you'd include one that was a from-the-top shot so I could see the whole look of the pie. It's gorgeous. I think the layering is an outstanding idea too. Beautiful pie.
Wow! Looks lovely and tempting.
I love your creativity with the American Pie. Looks delicious too Biren. Great fireworks pictures!
The pie looks so festive with the stars on it! That was a nice touch – and I bet it was delicious! Hope you had a great 4th!
what a beautiful apple pie….I love the stars, what a great addition!
Thanks Denise! I am really glad I found this recipe as the pie is delicious. Do give it a try and let me know what you think.
Those beanies are really cute, aren't they? I still have the patriotic beanies somewhere. This guy is actually the larger buddy
Thanks Pam! I enjoyed making those little stars
Hope you had a good 4th.
Thanks Ann! I wish you were here too
Thanks Sadaf! Thanks also for visiting and leaving a comment.
Thanks Qwen! This is a really delicious pie. I am glad I found the recipe. I hope you had a great 4th.
Thanks Lea Ann!
Thanks Madin! The sauce makes the pie quite delicious. Glad to have found the recipe. Hope you had a great 4th.
Thanks Penny! I enjoyed decorating the pie
Thank you. It is good to be back home cooking. Still a little slow right now but be back to normal soon.
Thanks Angie!
I am with you about the crust being the most important part of the pie. A nice and flaky crust makes all the difference. Thanks Cristina, we had a lovely time.
Thanks Cheah! Lattice crust makes the pie look festive.
Thanks Jay! Maybe it is time for you to try making one
Thanks and hope you had a great 4th too.
Thanks! I like layering the fruit as it looks so nice when you cut it.
Thanks Nithu!
Thanks LeQuan! I love pies and enjoy making them. It wasn't easy to take those shots of the fireworks. I am glad some turned out ok.
Thanks Reeni! It was fun decorating the pie and I am glad it turned out well. Also very glad I found this recipe as the pie is delicious. Hope you had a great one too.
Thanks Dennis! Oh..I like the stars too. It was fun to make
Happy 4th of July! Apple pie is the best and yours looks especially gorgeous. I love that crust!
nice pics…looks so yummy!!
Great idea with the stars!
Over in San Francisco, it was pretty foggy on July 4th which distorted the beautiful fireworks. Many people were burning them in the park and one man lost his arm after freak firework accident.
I love apple pie. Home baked ones are simply the best!
Beautiful pie! Welcome back.
Lovely pie! Perfect for a 4th of July celebration. I hope you had a good trip with lots of fun!
What a fantastic pie…I do not think I have ever seen an apple pie that was a work of art before. Love this!
beautiful pie, i love the use of three apples, so many flavors..love the cutouts on top
sweetlife
Biren-what a beautiful, festive pie! Love it!
The seeds on the crust cutouts are so very clever. They look so festive, too! Hope you had a grand Fourth!
[...] We picked about 5 to 6 pounds of Haralson, enough for 2 pies. Since I already have a post on apple pie, I decided to make a cake this time. Sweet Medjool dates were added to complement the tart flavor [...]
[...] Related posts:As American as Apple Pie [...]
[...] For a pie recipe, please check out my post As American as Apple Pie. [...]