First Apple Pie

Ever since I was old enough to make pie, I have endeavored to create one just like my paternal grandmother's. That pie was the best part of Thanksgiving dinner for many of my young years. My memory of it may be more about the warmth and joy of the family on that particular day of the year rather than the actual pie recipe, but I am sure it was also a darn good pie.

Apple pie is a favorite in our house. Erik would eat them year round if I made them, but I prefer to wait for the local apple crop to come in. The weather was gorgeous yesterday and we went out to a local farm and bought a bag of Macintosh apples. Normally, I do not use a single type of apple for my pies, but rather use one or two apples of three to four varieties. This way it "hedges my bet" that there is one or two that will be too mealy or mushy and evens out the tart/sweetness. With these apples being so fresh, I figured I'd just go for it and use only them. I like my pie a bit on the "spicy" side, so I put in a good teaspoon of cinnamon, a hefty pinch of all spice, a pinch of ground cloves and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. I usually use brown sugar and vary the amount depending on the types of apples anywhere from 1/2 to almost a full cup. I put maybe a tablespoon of flour or so in with the apples to help thicken the filling and usually a couple "dots" of butter over the filling once it's in the pie plate. I also add some cinnamon sugar on top of the crust which browns up nicely and adds some more flavor to the crust. I did not make my own crust this time, it was store bought. I usually save crust making for a really special occasion- for my sanity mostly. I am still working on being reliable with my own crust.

Pie is fun and frustrating to make because I could do everything (other than the apples) exactly the same every time and have a very different pie outcome. Sadly, with this bunch of apples, the pie ended up too tart and mushy, although it looked gorgeous! The mushiness I think was a product of cooking a bit too long (although the crust was nearly perfectly done, I'd say, so I wouldn't have wanted to cook it too much less). The tartness was my underestimation of how strong this bunch of macs was. When I add in some galas, fuji or other sweeter variety, the amount of sugar I put it would have certainly been enough, and probably would have helped the texture too.
Nevertheless, the first pie of the season is cause for celebration. I'm certain my grandma knew the trials and tribulations of a finicky pie and is smirking along with me at this one.