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NORTH COUNTRY KITCHEN: Dec. 3 was Apple Pie Day

“Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness.”

– Jane Austen

You’ve probably heard the phrase “As American as apple pie” but what does it really mean? And who declared Dec. 3 as National Apple Pie Day?

Several websites, including the Examiner newspaper, a blog on CNN and Mahalo list Dec. 3 as National Apple Pie Day. However I was unable to find any information on when this was first declared a food “holiday.”

It was probably Mark Twain who popularized the notion that apple pie is uniquely American. Commenting about foods he missed while traveling in Europe, he wrote in A Tramp Abroad: “Apple pie … Peach pie. American mince pie. Pumpkin pie. Squash pie. All sorts of American pastry.”

Yet pie is not truly American; both apples and pastry came to America from England. John Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed, spread wild apples throughout the northeast and Appalachian regions.

Many ancient cultures used dough to wrap a filling. Egyptian tomb drawings show the Pharaoh’s bakers mixing nuts, fruits and honey to fill a bread dough shell. The Romans spread filled dough pies throughout Europe, and the English quickly adopted them. Early versions were practical ways to bake and store perishable ingredients. However, those pastry shells were too hard to eat! They served instead as a baking dish, storage container, and serving vessel. Meat, vegetables, fruit and custards were all elegantly presented as a filling in a pie.

Both sweet and savory pies were brought to America by early settlers from England. The first truly American cookbook, American Cookery by Amelia Simmons, published 30 years after the Revolutionary War includes recipes for apple pie, cranberry tart, minced meat pie and a pumpkin pudding that was baked in a crust (pumpkin pie).

Many early colonists stretched the apples in pie by adding custard. The Accomplished Cook by Robert May, published in England in 1660, lists the earliest known recipe for an apple pie made with custard and eggs (according to The Apple Lover’s Cookbook by Amy Traverso).

Since neither apples nor pastry are truly “American”, apple pie is just like most Americans imported from other lands. Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) wrote: “The pie is an English institution which, planted on American soil, forthwith ran rampant and burst forth into an untold variety of genera and species.”

In the 1950s, convenience food entered the scene. Since then, many Americans have gotten too busy with modern lives to bake at home. Instead, we buy ready-made pies at supermarket bakeries. Those who still bake often make use of pre-made crusts and canned pie filling. But making your own “from scratch” apple pie allows you to play with the ingredients. The fruity, nutty, spicy and sweet aroma of pies baking is a special treat, and the fragrance lingers in the kitchen long after the pie is out of the oven.

Why not take some time to bake an apple pie with your family? It can be a fun history lesson for the kids!

Apple Berry Custard Pie

We have so many frozen berries I had to use them.

Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 pinch salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 or 2 apples (about 1 – 1/2 cups, sliced)

1 1/2 cup blueberries (or raspberries)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In large bowl, beat eggs until light and lemon colored. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Beat in sour cream and yogurt. Add salt and flour, and stir in.

Peel, core and slice apples. Arrange apple slices on the bottom.

Fold berries into custard mixture gently, and pour over apple slices in prepared crust. Top with a lattice crust, if desired. Bake in preheated oven until the center begins to set (30 to 35 minutes).

Or bake as an open pie, and top with whipped cream after pie cools.

Apple Pie Bread

This bread goes well with coffee or tea. It also makes a great gift.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup bourbon or apple cider (optional)

1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

(1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unbleached or all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups cored, shredded, unpeeled apples (I used Macintosh)

Optional icing:

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Butter a 9-inch-by-5-inch bread pan (or spray with cooking spray); set aside.

Soak raisins in bourbon or cider about 15 minutes. Place nuts in bowl. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon and mix to combine. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine oats, flours, salt and baking powder.

Melt the butter, and add to the dry ingredients. Stir in maple syrup, sour cream, and buttermilk. Beat eggs and add. Mix well with a spoon. Fold in shredded apples. Place in the prepared bread pan.

Add soaked raisins to nut mixture. Spread nut mixture over batter in bread pan. Use a knife to swirl the nuts and raisins down into the batter.

Bake one hour. Test with a toothpick to make sure it is done in the middle. You may need to let it bake 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Remove from oven and let cool at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

For optional icing, combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in small bowl. Add a little more milk if too thick. Cool bread, then drizzle with the icing.

Author of the award-winning cookbook Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market, Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two passions: cooking and writing. She can be reached at www.wordsaremyworld.com or on Facebook as Author Yvona Fast.

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