After the hurricane hit, I debated scrapping this post to give my moment of silence in respect for the losses many are experiencing. The unfairness of my current physical blessings is not lost on me today. But I've chosen to share this post with the hope of stirring good memories, spreading cheer, and encouraging you to go make something for someone in need or simply for someone you love.
A Sauce of Stories
The long-awaited day arrived, so I packed up my preschooler and headed to the apple...umm, I guess I can’t say “orchard” because it’s not. I guess we'll call it “The Apple Place.” We pick apples out of crates instead of picking them out of trees. Picking them this way is less work, plenty of fun, and, best of all, I can’t fall from a tree and break a leg. But that's a story for another day.
Apples have played a key role in stories since the beginning of time and just the sight of them now can stir a sweet nostalgia in me and draw me deep into the most pleasant of memories.
In one, I'm a tiny girl, and it's almost bedtime. Each evening it's the same. Mom's nimble fingers glide around and around the apple as a ribbon of red drifts onto the napkin spread across her lap. Even though mom has peeled the apples for us, we'll grab the long ribbon of peeling and eat it anyway. Then we'll munch on the white, juicy apple slices while she reads a Bible story to us. Outside, it's dark and spooky. Inside, it's peaceful and familiar.
Another favorite was our annual apple trip in September. I would skip school for a day and ride along to Creston, BC for apples. I recall the excitement of waking up while it was still dark and climbing into the back seat of the Dually truck with my cousin—drowsy but jittery with excitement—at the onset of our six-hour trip. Although specific memories are a bit sketchy, I can easily imagine Lisa and I snuggled in the back of the Dually with fluffy, feather pillows, our schoolbooks, some dolls, comics, and mom's wonderful egg sandwiches on homemade rolls. Arriving at the orchard was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and soon apples boxes were filling the pickup bed which had been outfitted with plywood sides to extend the height of the truck bed so it could contain all the boxes.
The journey home began when the truck was sufficiently laden down by apples. With sunshine streaming in the windows and crunchy apples at our fingertips, we'd drift into a dreamy state of boredom. We would arrive home late in the afternoon and meet family members at the cellar, a small concrete building where we stored our apples, carrots, and potatoes for the winter. We'd unload and sort the apple boxes then stack them in the cellar on pallets. We were the lucky ones who lived nearest to the cellar and could walk there to grab an apple for snack or potatoes for supper.
Each fall, mom made pies with some of the apples. She was a reputable baker in our area and frozen apple pies were one of her specialties. For me it was a day of delight to help mom roll out dozens of crusts and stir up filling for dozens of pies. The best of times was when mom went to market with her goodies which included a freezer full of pies. There are probably laws against selling unbaked apple pies at farmers’ market these days, but each winter my freezer hides a cache of these pies. Baking pies for my family and friends still dazzle my days with delight.
At The Apple Place, my son is as excited about our apple adventure as I am, and I wonder if he's making his own memories while I relive mine. We chat with fellow apple pickers, as we fill our baskets. My son eagerly pulls a red wagon while I wander the rows of crates analyzing the selection. My mind is in a whirl as I try to remember which kind I want for what. Golden Delicious, Cameo, Stayman, Jonagold, Red Delicious, McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Enterprise, Grimes Gold, Jonathan, Gala, Fuji, and more. It's overwhelming. Delightfully overwhelming.
An Ode to Apples
Filling the wagon that's pulled by my son
With a palette of colorful apples is fun.
Crisp, juicy apples in ribbons of red.
Visions of pastries now dance in my head.
Pecan Crusted Muffins with cinnamon swirls
Is just what I need to have tea with the girls.
Apple Crumb Pie with a good, flaky crust,
A small pinch of nutmeg, much cinnamon dust.
I'll chop up these apples and with them I'll make
Pie bars and fritters and maybe a cake.
Dappled with apples and drowning in glaze,
A cake that will make all my friends swoon for days.
Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese and Caramel Dip.
Slice a few Apples. Pour coffee to sip.
Half of an apple carved into a bowl,
Mounded with peanut butter for my son of four.
Apples are bubbling, saucy and hot,
Fragrant and steamy in a big silver pot.
And as we now come to the end of this ode,
Let's not forget Apple Crisp a la mode,
And caramel drizzled on my Apple Galette.
Making me wonder if you're hungry yet?
Apple Strudel Slab Pie
This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, At Home in the Kitchen by Judy Walter. If you ever see a copy, do yourself a favor and buy one. Her recipes never fail me. I made a pan of these the other night because I wanted a few pictures for you. I had to fend off the family to get it accomplished!
2 ½ cups flour
1 cup butter
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup sour cream
2 T ice water
Measure flour into bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Blend egg yolks and sour cream. Add to flour mixture with ice water, stirring just until blended. Gather into a ball and chill in refrigerator while preparing apple filling.
Apple Filling
½ cup sugar
3 T flour
¼ tsp. Cinnamon
6 cups pared, tart apples, thinly sliced.
Stir together sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Mix with apples.
TO ASSEMBLE
Divide dough in half. Roll one portion directly onto 10”x15” rimmed baking sheet. Spread with apple mixture, leaving 1/2” pastry exposed on all sides.
For top crust, outline 10”x15” rectangle on wax paper. Turn paper over and dust with flour. Roll second ball of dough to fit. Cut slits in uniform diagonal pattern. Carefully turn pastry over apple layer and remove wax paper. Seal edges with fork.
Brush with a beaten egg.
Bake at 375° for 30 – 35 minutes or until golden brown. While warm, drizzle with glaze.
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T milk
½ tsp. vanilla
Blend until smooth and of a drizzling consistency. Add more milk if needed.
*****
Apple Galette
To make the Apple Galette, you can follow this link Easy Apple Galette, or you can simply take your favorite pie crust and roll it into a 12” circle on parchment paper.
For filling combine:
3-5 apples (I prefer a variety like Granny Smith, Stayman, Jonagold)
lemon juice
3T white sugar
3T brown sugar
1 1/2T cornstarch
1t. cinnamon
1/4t. Nutmeg
Spoon it onto the pie crust and fold the edges in 1 ½”- 2”. Place Galette on baking sheet. Brush crust with egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Drizzle with leftover caramel dip for apples. Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes.
If you want to make Apple Dapple Cake, you'll have to Google it or ask one of my friends for the recipe. I do not make it. I've heard it's so good that having it in the house can make you fat. =)
When you've finished baking and sit down to enjoy a cup of coffee, send me a note. I'd love to hear what you made, and what your earliest apple memories are.
Happy Baking!