Classic Apple Pie Recipe (You'll Have Everyone Queuing Up for Seconds)

The Apple Pie Deconstructed

We love our baseball and apple pie
We love our county fair
We'll keep Old Glory waving high
There's no place here for a bear

Thus went Jack Holden and Frances Kay's famous 1950 number 'The Fiery Bear' that elevated the humble apple pie to an American cultural icon in the Cold War years. Over time, apple pie has become a powerful symbol of American pride and prosperity, and as any dessert lover will attest, richly deserving of this prominence.

Apple pie is symbolic of the holiday season. It stands for love, unity, and comfort. Its distinct aroma evokes memories of family get-togethers on Thanksgiving and Christmas, when you dig up your best apple pie recipe.

But America's favorite dessert is not just reserved for the holidays, it's an all-year treat comfort food with an unmistakably homely touch. With a fruity aroma and a taste that combines the tanginess of lime with the tempered sweetness of brown sugar and the warm flavors of nutmeg and cinnamon, this dessert is just melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

The American Pie Council and Crisco found in a 2008 study that around one in five Americans preferred apple pie. More recently, Tastewise found that apple pie is still a roaring favorite, with consumption growing at an annual rate of 66.46%.

Indeed America's love affair with apple pie has continued despite the rise of low carb, keto-friendly, and gluten-free diets. It has been so inextricably entwined with American culture that the phrase 'as American as apple pie' has gained wide currency. The phrase itself was immortalized by a General Motors jingle from 1974, that went- "Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet, they go together in the good ol' USA."

Origins of Apple Pie

The apple pie may be celebrated in the US, commemorating every red-letter day, from the Fourth of July to Thanksgiving Day, yet apple pie never originated in this country.

This dessert has its origins in England, where it was influenced by French, Dutch, and possibly Ottoman culinary traditions. In England, the first known apple pie recipe can be traced back to 1381. It was printed by Geoffrey Chaucer, and contained apples, raisins, figs, a pastry shell, and pears as ingredients, but contained no sugar.

Apple trees were not even known to North America before the Europeans arrived. What grew there at that time were crab apples, which were undersized and sour, and were scarcely fit for consumption, leave aside pastries.

Not just apples, but other ingredients that went into the preparation of apple pie also had to be sourced from outside the US. Wheat came from the Middle East, and pastry fats such as lard and butter arrived with Christopher Columbus introducing domesticated cattle and pigs. Meanwhile, essential spices like nutmeg and cinnamon arrived from far-flung places like Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The skill of pastry-making arose from a mash-up of alimentary traditions in mainland Europe, mainly Italian, French, and Arabic.

Much before the first Thanksgiving, the British and Dutch produced their variations of apple pie. There is evidence of this dish existing in the Netherlands since the 1600s.

European settlers eventually transported apple pie to the colonies, where they made pies with apples they had brought to North America. The dish immediately became popular.

Through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, apple pie became a staple in America. However, it was not until the twentieth century that it became an integral part of the American cultural vocabulary.

The apple pie we know today is usually double-crusted. It has pastry on both sides of the filling and thetop crust is latticed or solid. To keep the bottom crust from becoming mushy, it must be baked separately. Thetop crust of a deep-dish apple pie, on the other hand, is usually the only crust it has.

The Politics of Apple Pie

During the First World War, pie-eating was accorded a certain degree of patriotic salience. As the Second World War broke out, apple pie's status as a nationalistic symbol of the US was strengthened, with American soldiers asserting they went to war for "mom and apple pie".

Throughout the Cold War, the delicious dessert retained its symbolic significance. When the Premier of the USSR Nikita Khrushchev came to speak at the United Nations in New York City in 1960, a woman by the name of Virginia McCleary sent a parcel to Khrushchev's Park Avenue residence. When the bomb squad stepped in to investigate the five-pound package, they found it contained no bomb, but a humble apple pie. McCleary had sent it to introduce the Soviet Premier to American values.

Apple pie eventually got identified with the US government, adding to its mythical status. In 1935, Congress used apple pie to resolve a dispute between the states of New York and Oregon about who produced the best apples. Later Connecticut also joined the debate.

When the President got involved, the dessert acquired an even more hallowed status. "Apple pie was the President's favorite among pies," Henrietta Nesbitt, President Franklin Roosevelt's White House head housekeeper, wrote in the book Presidential Cookbook- Feeding the Roosevelts and Their Guests, in 1951.

How to Select the Right Apples for Your Pie

In the US, about 1,000 different apple varieties are grown and sold. With so many varieties, choosing the right apples for your apple pie can be a tall order.

An 'ideal' apple pie is thought to feature apples that retain a bit of their firmness even after cooking. The best pies are made by combining two to three apple varieties, both sweet and sour.

One of the most crucial factors while selecting apples is their availability. Certain varieties are available only at specific periods of the year, in specific areas, and in specific quantities.

Here's a quick guide to the five best apple varieties for making an unforgettable apple pie-

1. Granny Smith- The most popular variety for making pies, these apples are firm and do not turn mushy when cooked. However, Granny Smith apples are considerably sour and lack a distinctive apple flavor, and need to be paired with a sweeter, more flavored apple variety when making pies.

2. Honeycrisp- This is among the sweeter apples around. They remain firm, though to a lesser extent than Granny Smiths. This allows Honeycrisps to provide a brilliant combination of texture and flavor to apple pies.

3. Golden Delicious- This apple variety is distinguished by its yellow color and is available throughout the year. They have a wonderful balance of sweetness and tartness, making them ideal for apple pies. However, when cooked, they lose a bit of their firmness.

4. Jonathan or Jonagold- These are the classic apples, with a good red peel and a delightfully tangy and tart flavor. Jonagold apples are a mix between Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples and are rarer. Together, the two create a novel variety with a flavor that is sweet and sour, and a texture that is firm.

5. Cortland- These apples do not turn brown as quickly as some of the other varieties. So they can be sliced and left aside while the dough is rolled out. The flavor of Cortland apples is extremely sweet with a touch of tartness.

Ingredients for Your Classic Apple Pie

The taste of your apple pie will depend on the type of ingredients chosen, their quantity, and the cooking method. Done right, and you'll have those eating it asking for more.
Here's what you need to make the classic apple pie-

• Three and a half pounds of firm, crisp apples that have been peeled, cored, and cut into one-fourth-inch wedges (about 11 cups)
• Two tablespoons of unsalted butter
• Two tablespoons of granulated sugar
• Half cup/110 grams of light brown sugar
• One teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• Half teaspoon of grated nutmeg
• Half teaspoon of ground ginger
• A pinch of ground cloves
• Two tablespoons of cornstarch
• One-fourth teaspoon of fine sea salt
• Half teaspoon of grated lemon zest
• One and a half teaspoons of fresh lemon juice (a little more if the apples are very sweet)
• Dough needed to make a double-crust pie measuring nine inches
• All-purpose flour that would be needed to roll out the dough
• Demerara sugar that would be needed for glazing (optional)
• Milk, heavy cream, or a beaten egg that would be needed for glazing (optional)

Steps to Making Your Classic Apple Pie

• To start off, the butter has to be melted in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and the apples are to be added. Stir and coat with butter. Cook, occasionally stirring, for about a minute, till the butter spreads uniformly.

• Whisk together the spices, sugars, and salt in a bowl. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples and toss in order to combine.

• Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 17 to 25 minutes, till the apples soften but still retain their shape.

• After that, cornstarch needs to be sprinkled uniformly over the apples. Cook, while occasionally stirring for about two minutes, till the apple mixture starts to simmer and thickens a bit.

• The next step is to remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice. The apples should then be cooled completely. You may prepare the apples 24 hours beforehand and refrigerate them.

• One-half of the pie dough has to be rolled into a circle measuring about 12-inch. This needs to be done on a lightly floured surface. Trim the dough to leave a half-inch overhang in a nine to ten-inch metal pie plate. Freeze the crust for 30 minutes at the minimum, or 24 hours at the maximum.

• Preheat the oven to 425 F, and on the central oven rack set a rimmed baking sheet.

• On a lightly floured board, roll out the remaining dough into a circle measuring ten to eleven inches. Remove the pie crust from the freezer and spread the chilled filling evenly on top. With the remaining dough, cover the apples. Squeeze the edges together, remove the extra dough, and then crimp the edges.

• The top of the pie needs to be brushed with milk, cream, or a beaten egg. You may then sprinkle with sugar. Steam vents need to be cut in the crust top.

• Bake the pie for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 F and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes till the filling starts to bubble in the steam vents and the crust turns golden brown.

• When a food thermometer inserted into the center of the pie reads 195 F, you'll know that your pie is done. Being mindful of the right Food Temperature is an important part of cooking. The Cooper-Atkins Blue2 thermometer is one of the Best Bluetooth thermometers around. It allows you to monitor the temperature of your pie from a distance, with the help of an app you can download on a tablet or phone.

• Allow the pie to cool down for two hours before serving. Be careful not to refrigerate the pie before it is served.
  

Apple Pie Goes Best With . . .

1. Ice cream- How about a scoop of ice cream on top of the apple pie? Vanilla, butter pecan, rum and raisin, salted caramel, or maple walnut ice cream flavors go well with apple pie. To add texture and crunch, add some cinnamon, and crushed nuts/chocolate chips.

2. Whipped cream- Freshly whipped cream is a typical apple pie topping. It cuts through the sweetness and provides a fluffy and light contrast to the crispy structure of the pie. Spoon the cream on top of the apple pie or alongside it. Finish with a sprinkle of cinnamon or cocoa powder.

3. Caramel, butterscotch, or toffee sauce- Made to trickle over the apple pie, this sticky, warm, and buttery sauce is a pie connoisseur's dream! Buy toffee, caramel, or butterscotch sauce and gently heat it before serving. Alternatively, a sauce can be made at home and seasoned with sea salt flakes to balance out the sweetness.

4. Vanilla bean latte- Pair your apple pie with a creamy vanilla bean latte for the ultimate pie-eating pleasure. The buttery and creamy nature of the dessert is enhanced by the combination of vanilla, coffee, and milk.

5. Cointreau- This tangy orange liqueur can elevate an apple pie to new heights. The chopped apples can be soaked in Cointreau to create a fantastic tangy filling.

Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Crust

1. Butter or any other fat used must be chilled well and cut into small pieces for a flaky crust. If the weather is hot, place the fat in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes before starting to make the dough.

2. Many recipes call for incorporating the butter into the flour till the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Leave a few large bits of butter (or any other fat) in the dough to achieve optimal flakiness. The fat generates steam when it heats up, creating small pockets of air that give a flaky texture. Avoid overworking the dough.

3. Begin by using a small quantity of water or any other liquid required in the recipe. Water promotes the production of gluten. You'll want to avoid gluten if you want a pie crust that's tender. The water should be just sufficient to ensure that the dough can hold together.

4. Chill the dough for 30 minutes at least, and two days at the most, before rolling it out. Again, if it's a really hot day, the dough needs to be placed in the freezer for approximately 10 minutes before being rolled out.

5. To get the full flakiness and tenderness of a perfect crust, the pie needs to be baked until it is completely brown, not simply golden.

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