Ms. Cook's Table: Apple Pie Hero

Apple Pie Hero

April 17, 2013

The apple pie hero legacy goes forth.

All thought is creative Ernest Holmes

�Tree of Life� is one of my favorite movies to come out in the last few years. The plot line reveals the 1950s childhood reflections of a middle-aged man. The 1950s father is portrayed by Brad Pitt and the mother, Jessica Chastain. Many of the movie scenes swept me into an emphatic swirl. Familiar, all of it, particularly the places and spaces represented, whether they were boundary free childhood play outdoors or tender home scenes, brooding with the unresolved emotions of complex parentals.

An odd artist element in the movie is a reoccurring image of a free floating ball, traveling through space. My heart leapt at the seemingly vague metaphor. I had seen that sphere before and it was the stuff of my childhood nightmares. Played out on screen, I recalled a nightly visual about the time I was to start kindergarten. Why it terrified me is still a mystery, but I sensed that the ball could not complete its journey amid storm clouds, blazing heat and gusty winds.

Unraveled, I would find myself twisted in the sheets, tearful and awake. And then my Father would be at my bedside. I would tell him about the anxious ball in my dreams and he would reassure me that a good ending was close at hand. He was about 30 years old at that time and now I am beginning to understand that he had many of his own fears, real and imagined.

Still he was the first to offer instruction on how to smooth the angst and make use of the hero within. No tangled ball was too furious, he said. A reward is always in store, he said. Because he said, goodness is at hand for those who know how to move forward in a positive way.

A glorious example was his mother's apple pie. A treat that many women, including myself, tried to duplicate. I believe that I came close last April on his birthday.

Though the outcome fell short of the formal beauty that his mother served, my own provincial styling was sufficient. He loved it. As I felt the blue-eyed smile on his 82-year -old face, I was grateful to return a favor because there are rewards for those who offer children self-sufficiency.

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Skillet Apple Pie

Use a combination of sweet, crisp apples and a 13x9-inch baking dish.

Ingredients:

Crust
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
Filling
1/2 cup apple cider
1/3 maple syrup
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2-1/2 pounds sweet and tart apples (about 5 medium), peeled, cored, halved, and cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges
1 egg white
2 teaspoons sugar

Steps:

Crust
Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined.
Add shortening and process until mixture has coarse texture.
Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with butter bits no larger than small peas.
Transfer mixture to bowl.
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture.
With blade of rubber spatula, mix.
Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water if dough does not come together.
Turn dough out onto sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a 4 inch disk.
Wrap dough and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 days, before rolling out.
If dough is refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable.
Filling
Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.
Whisk cider, syrup, lemon juice, cornstarch and cinnamon together until smooth.
Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat.
When foaming subsides, add apples and cook, stirring until apples begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. (Do not fully cook apples)
Remove pan from heat, add cider mixture and stir until apples are well coated.
Set aside until cooled slightly.
To assemble and bake
Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface or between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap to 11-inch circle.
Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll over apple filling.
Brush dough with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
With sharp knife, gently cut dough into 6 pieces by making1 vertical cut followed by 2 evenly spaced horizontal cuts (perpendicular to first cut).
Bake until apples are tender and crust is a deep golden brown about 20 minutes.
Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

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