The Prizewinner (Ro’s Apple Pie)

The old saying goes that there’s nothing more American than apple pie and Mom…and it’s got to be true. My mom, Edith Terrell who lived her entire life in Orleans and Mitchell, IN, in the southern part of my fair state, was best known for her pies, after her famous persimmon pudding.

Something about her pies was so memorable…didn’t matter what kind, and of course, the apple pie with the delicate narrow strips of pastry latticewwork was the most memorable probably for me.

It was only in recent times that I learned that she cooked her apple and cherry pie fillings on the stove first, let them cool and then did the pastry and filled it. One of her little tricks that made her cooking special, which is a basic premise of our promotion of American food as true cuisine…the recipes may be very simple, as many American recipes are, but it takes a true culinary artistry to make the recipe come out as memorable…and Edith hit that note every single time.

So, when the challenge went out that Allisonville Nursery was holding a fall pie contest and you could enter apple or pumpkin, I was up for it! Should have been daunting since Mom’s apple pie was the best, but I set out to get the prize…just like she did as a two time first prize winner in the persimmon pudding contest at the annual Mitchell Persimmon Festival…no stopping me. And I then I set about in my methodical, creative way to experiment…I had time and I had apples…more and more..must have gone through an entire bushel. Some I used were the same, jonathans, winesaps, mcintosh,…some I mixed as with honey crisp or granny smith. I tried white sugar, brown sugar, a combo of the two for the ‘sauce’…added a secret ingredient here and there…I made a bunch and they were whoppers, weighing in at about four pounds, with a little sturdier lattice than Mom’s and my signature three ball and two leaf ‘apple’ decoration on top.

Blaine had advised right away to use lard in the crust (I still don’t bring myself often to use a store bought crust…) and I quickly found out he was right, although Mom usually reached for the Crisco. So after a two week concentrated effort…I got it about right. Day of the contest, I had two pies to pick from…debated a while and made a decision. This is it…my inherent reputation as a cook rested on this four pound pie, carefully delivered in time to the nursery, where there were more than a few dozen pies. I waited it out…trying not to think about it too much…when finally the call came.

I did it…I upheld the family tradition and had won first prize for the apple pie…Crust: Mom’s two crust recipe, which I prefer to make with real lard plus 1 T. butter, and I always have to add more water so:

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 Cups flour
1/2 t. salt
l/4 t. baking powder
Mix together well; Add by cutting in with fork or pastry blender:
3/4 C. real lard plus 1 T. real butter
Stir in and mix well…
l/2 C. water or cold vodka
Roll into two balls, one slightly larger than the other for bottom crust. Refrigerate at least l/2 hour.

Filling:
10 to 12 apples of mixed varieties, peeled and sliced, with 2 T. lemon juice added to prevent discoloring
Stir together with:
1 C. white sugar
l/4 C. brown sugar
2 T. honey int
1 t. salt
1 Cup flour or cornstarch
1 to 2 T. cinnamon
l/4 t. nutmeg
l/4 t. cloves if desired

Roll larger ball of chilled dough out two inches larger than top of pie pan; carefully fit into pan (deep dish); trim overhang to one inch; roll out remaining ball of chilled dough to circle larger than top of pie pan; cut into twelve strips, use pastry wheel for fluted edge if you have one. Carefully lay six strips about an inch apart across top of pie; fold back every other one and place another one on it, folding carefully back over the top; do the same with alternating over and under strips to make lattice. Bake on cookie sheet to avoid drips for at least an hour at 350o. Do not remove until filling is bubbling thick clear oozy lovely sauce at edges of pie.