The Lavender Apple: September 2010

Rozlynn, my daughter just called me and asked about making an "Apple Pie". Apple pie is actually my speciality. I learned from the best pie maker, my mom. Every year on the farm I bottle 50 or so quarts of apple pie filling. So If you aren't lucky enough to have some of my pie filling, then go out and buy some apples. What kind of apples? Any cooking apple. Ask someone in the produce department if you have questions. Before making the filing I like to make the crust first and set it aside (recipe below).

~HERE'S HOW TO MAKE THE FILING:

Peel and cut apples into wedges. About 6-7 large apple. Toss the apples with sugar (depends of the tartness of the apples and how sweet you like things. I would say 1/2 -3/4 cups sugar). Now toss in a squeeze of lemon juice, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg and about 2 Tbs. flour. A little trick I do is sprinkle a little sugar onto the bottom of the pie before adding the apples. This keeps the crust crisp.

Now that your apples are in the shell. Sprinkle with a little more sugar and dot with butter. This means cutting little pieces of butter and putting them over apples, about 1/4 of a cube. You can either make a crumb topping (recipe below) or use the dough you will have left. (The picture above shows a crumb topping). I add a teaspoon of lavender just to shoot it over the stars. Cook your pie at 350 until nice and brown. If the edges get too brown you can add strips of foil.

Bon Apetit,

Peggy

PEGGYS PIE CRUST

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. sugar

2/3 cup shortening + 2 tbs.

8-10 Tbs. Cold water

In a bowl add flour, sugar and salt. Cut in Shortening. To cut in shortening a pastry blender works the best. If you don't have one a few pulses in a food processor will do the trick. Anyway the flour mixture should resemble small peas. Add cold water and barley stir. To much working with the dough causes a tough crust. Gather dough into a ball, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or so. Cut the dough in half. If not using the other half for your dough for the top crust. I always roll it out into a pie pan and freeze. Roll out dough on a boardusing a small amount of flour so dough does not stick. Line pie pan with dough leaving enough extra around the edges for a good crusty edge. If you are putting a top crust on make sure you cut some slits for the stream to escape. Happy pie Making

If your dough doesn't come out perfect, no big deal. Just patch it with extra dough. Once it's cooked no one will care or know.

CRUMB TOPPING

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup cold butter

1 tsp. Lavender buds ( opt)

Mix sugar and flour together. Cut in butter. Sprinkle over pie and bake