As “American” as Apple Pie…
Getting creative…lattice crust with leaf edging
Apples aren't American! Shocking, right? As a country we adopted apples into our culture, our kitchens and our colloquialisms. Think about apple bobbing and apple expressions?: the apple of my eye - an apple a day keeps the Doctor away - comparing apples and oranges - how do you like them apples? - and, as American as apple pie. Even though apples aren't American in origin, they have become part of us; like tacos, margaritas, hamburgers, hot dogs and French fries. Partially because they are a great fruit which is easy to grow in many of our northern states and also because they are delicious to eat in so many forms; raw and unpeeled, peeled, baked, pureed, juiced, fortified or sweetened and made into dessert, like Apple Pie!
My husband, who is from Asturias in Northern Spain has had an affinity for apples all of his life, unofficially “harvesting” local apple orchards as a child as soon as the apples were ready. I imagine him up in the apple trees on the side of the road, like the Von Trapp children in the Sound of Music, blissfully picking anyone's apples he could, and eating them before getting caught. So, it was no surprise to me that one of the foods he fell in love with in his earliest years in America, was apple pie. I make it for him as often as I can; for his birthday, for Thanksgiving and for a new special day in his life; my husband became an American Citizen. Coincidentally, it happens that March 11 is Johnny Appleseed Day, a true "apple" legend in early American history, who planted thousands of apple seedlings across his vast acreage in many Northeast states. I was so proud of my husband and he was truly moved by the pride he felt receiving the privilege of American Citizenship. He took his oath seriously and after the ceremony was over, he ate a big hamburger with "French" fries, then ate his apple pie mostly by himself - seriously.
My recipe addresses the problem I always had, which was the apples never cooked through, but the crust was getting too dark. My solution, pre-cook the apples before adding to the crust. I hope you try it and that you enjoy it. It’s worth the effort, but you can always take a shortcut using store bought pie crust.
