A few weeks ago, Almost Eleven texted to ask if we could pick her up from school the next day. I texted back “Of course. Want to stay for dinner?” And she flashed back “Yes, please!” So Granddad made roast chicken with pasta and homemade pesto, oven-roasted cauliflower, a simple salad, all the girl’s favourites. Such a meal deserved the dessert she goes all fangirl over: apple pie! So I added “lard” and “5 Granny Smith apples” to his grocery list, and made room on my day’s to-do list for “Make pastry and an apple pie.”
May I say, as modestly as possible, that I’ve garnered ample appreciation for my pies through the decades. Mostly blackberry pies for all the years we had a patch growing wild on the edges of our property. Lemon meringue very occasionally. Apple pie a few times a year, and now with our own little apple harvest, a fall tradition in the making. . . .and the tourtières at Christmas. With Paul doing more and more of the cooking in his retirement (he tried, once, to move into pie-making territory, and there was a minor marital crisis you can read about here. Never let it be said that I can’t be petty;-) ,I’m glad to have something I can contribute to the feasts, and my gang always gives me their enthusiastic thumbs-up. And more importantly, their empty plates, with requests for a second helping.
But I don’t think anyone loves my apple pie as much as Oldest Granddaughter. So when Paul raised an eyebrow at the addition to his grocery list — “Really? Isn’t that a lot of work? I think she’d be happy with a few cookies,” I sent him off with the assurance that the work was well worth it.
And it was. Her delight filled the kitchen (noisily!) when she saw the pie on the counter, and even after roast chicken and a second helping of pasta (she loves pesto!), she managed to eat two slices.
I should have snapped a photo of the pie before we broke into it, but even then, it wasn’t especially photogenic. . . Occasionally, I’ll make apple and leaf shapes from leftover pastry to decorate the top of my pies, but ornamentation is not my forte. Moreover, my pastry is a very short pastry — I’m told regularly that it’s very tender, melt-in-the-mouth, flaky, etc., etc., which is what we like about it. But it does not lend itself to much manipulation. I’d have a very tough (ha! see, that’s the problem!) time weaving it artistically as in the photo below.
In fact, a year or so ago we invited a new friend over for dinner, someone Pater had worked with in a volunteer capacity, someone with major chops in the culinary department. Cooked professionally and had invited us to a couple of very impressive, multi-course meals. We pushed aside any intimidation we felt, wanting to reciprocate his hospitality, and decided we’d go with well-honed “specialties of the house.” I can’t remember the appetizer, but Pater made his wonderful paella, and I made an apple pie.
Now, you might begin to doubt the quality of my pie, and the level of my defensiveness when I describe our guest’s response. Personally, I suspect some gender politics at work, but the upshot is that while Paul got copious praise through the meal, my pie got me the equivalent of a pat on the head followed by a short lesson on how I could make the pastry less short so that it could be more robust, so that it wouldn’t flake and crumble so messily. I made sure I looked interested and not defensive and oh so, you know, grateful for the advice. But.
It took me down, and the family didn’t get pies for a while. They have pretty clear and honest voices, though, and they persisted. Apparently, in our family, tender and flaky is the most important attribute in a pie crust, and one and all denounced guests who feel they need to give tips for improvement of the meal. So I deferred to the majority opinion and have happily been throwing together pies ever since.
And something about that not especially photogenic pie apparently appealed toAnnie, who commented on Instagram that she’d like the recipe. Whereupon I decided that she might not be the only one, that perhaps I might get a blogpost out of my apple pie.
So here goes. Pretty straightforward, really. I’ve been using the recipe for Perfect Pastry from the back of the Tenderflake lard box for decades now, and if there’s any “trick” at all, it’s in not using any more of the liquid than you have to use for the dough to cohere.
For a vegan version, I’ve also usedthis recipe which used to be found on the Fluffo shortening box, or this one, from Crisco (and because these recipes only make two crusts, they’re easier to pull together), but there’s no question your crust will be more flavourful if made from lard. And I think that the vinegar and egg in the liquid of the Tenderflake recipe makes a difference in final quality (texture), but not huge.
The biggest trick — and this is what I learned from my dad, way, way, way back when — is NOT to overwork the dough (he made the best sausage rolls with the flakiest pastry!). Once you’ve added the liquid, work as quickly and confidently as you can to gather the dough together into a ball, and once you’ve got it to that stage, let it be!
Another trick I’ve used for decades is a “secret” Pater learned from a co-worker one summer when they shared living quarters and kitchen duties after a day in the boat collecting data about fish and fisheries. The fellow (who Paul admitted did more than the lion’s share of cooking for the crew) rolled his pastry dough (I’d love to have met this guy — I mean! he made pies after a day working in the bush or on the boat, and with pretty minimal culinary equipment) between two sheets of wax paper so that it didn’t stick. When my sister phoned a few weeks ago to ask for pie-making tips, I passed this along, but of course, being much more up-to-date then I (she’s almost a decade younger ;-), she’d bought a silicone sleeve to serve the same purpose. . .
Oh, and I treated myself to a marble rolling pin a few years ago; I think that helps by keeping the dough cooler (less sticky) and also because the additional weight means fewer rolling strokes are needed, hence less handling.
Because really, if there’s any single trick, it’s the one my dad insisted on: don’t overwork the dough!
And if you need any more proof that my pie-making stretches back over decades, it’s on these pages of my Joy of Cooking cookbook, an edition that I’ve had since ’72 or ’73, which means it’s. . . ancient. Well-worn. A bit disgusting, if we’re being honest, stained with wayward ingredients from many dishes over the years (you should see the Yorkshire pudding page! or the one for Peanut Butter cookies!)
I use Granny Smith apples, if possible (and I’ve tried the half apple and half green tomatoes as well, when the latter aren’t likely to ripen on the vine in time).
I often sprinkle the top with the sugar and cinnamon, and I generally do brush it first with milk. Not sure if that step makes much difference. And I like to make the pie without an upper crust as well, cutting calories and making it a bit healthier. I’ve never sprinkled the grated cheese on top, but I do like a small piece of cheddar alongside. I hear my dad, “Apple pie without some cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze” . . .
Remembering a history of pie-eating that stretches over more than six decades, a personal history of pie-making that’s half a century long . . . . it’s surprising and comforting, odd and a bit daunting all at once. It’s a history that’s become outmoded as I’ve lived it. Yes, my family still loves the pies I serve for special dinners, and even when I make them on weekdays, they’re happily and readily consumed. But lard . . . . Gluten. . . .The sheer calorie load of a piece of pie. . . These all belong to the days when many of us expended more physical energy in the normal course of our day and when lard (a resource it would have been nigh sinful to waste) and some sugar turned the harvest’s fruit into a sustaining fuel as well as brightening lives with simple pleasures. There’s another post — an entire essay! — there somewhere, but it’s Monday morning and many of these words have been impatiently waiting to meet you for days already. . .
So I won’t tell you now about ways the tradition is being adapted by my son-in-law, a skilled bread baker who’s been playing with different flours to make his own version of a tasty and tender pie crust. Except to say that he brought a delicious pumpkin pie to our Canadian Thanksgiving feast at my daughter’s, and I think the future is in good hands.
In the meantime, I have a few pies left in me . . . and a few willing to take forks to them. . .
What about you? Do you make pies? Any secrets? And favourite recipes? I know my American readers will be busy this week getting ready for your Thanksgiving feast this Thursday. Apple pie on any tables? Or do you stick with pumpkin? And one last question: what early or significant memories does pie evoke for you?
Oh, and Happy Monday! And all you American readers, remember to Breathe! as you work your way through those long lists to get your tables ready for Thursday. . . . Take Care. . . .
Must vent first: Anyone who accepts your hospitality, then offers “advice” on your pie crust is a boor of the first water.
Pie is love, and yours is the measure by which your granddaughter will ever apply to all others. As she should.
I would like a large piece, please. I have no shame. �� Deborah
I think your guest was incredibly RUDE!
Good for you to return to making pies your way…my mom made the best pies…they looked very much like yours. She used Crisco and her pies were very flaky… messy too but we all loved them.
Thank you for sharing…I have that Joy of cooking book and mine is stained on the pages of the most cooked recipes…you should see my yorkshire cooking recipe page! The binding has fallen apart and I keep it wrapped securely in an elastic band!
Enjoy your week…the sun is shining here today and its beautiful outside.
I think I can smell your pie from here! My mother made good pies, but yours sounds better – that crust!
I'm not and never have been a baker, but I can eat them with great gusto. <3
My mother makes pies better than anyone that I know. Her pie crust is always very flaky and toothsome. I have tried multiple times but have never succeeded to make a pie crust as good as hers. Growing up she would make rhubarb pies with the ruby red shoots of rhubarb that were the early spring harvest of our garden. In the summer around the middle of July my whole family would go berry picking in the river valley near our home and mom would bake saskatoon berry pie. My mother still is baking pies at 87 years ofage. The last pie she brought as her contribution to a family dinner was a lemon meringue. She still bakes her pie even with her hands gnarled with osteoarthritis and the muscles of her hand atrophied by carpal tunnel syndrome. Baking for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren is her language of love.
I’m with the others about the rudeness of your guest, but then some people are very competitive cooks. I have a dear friend who simply cannot ever acknowledge that anyone cooks (anything) well. I actually had to tell him off the other day 🙂 Your pie crust sounds amazing although I sadly can’t use lard as a pescatarian, but I might try the vegan version – and I’m definitely going to try the filling. I have an absolute favourite pastry recipe using sour cream that is SO difficult to work with but completely worth the final results. My mother, who was a professional food writer (and also horribly competitive) once even went so far as to concede that she wasn’t a person who could make pastry, which I chose to take as a reluctant compliment …
Also, is she really almost 11? I remember the baby photos.
My kid, still wearing braces and unable to eat apples, decided a pie would be the solution. So homemade apple pie it was, including homemade crust. Very good. Made the French way, with butter. I was impressed. Will share your recipe with my chef.
The rudeness and arrogance of such a guest. Thank you for this. I am going to give it proper attention later on and see if I can adapt it to my gf flour. My mother always used lard in pastry and she too was adamant about having a light hand. I have a house guest for a few days so will fill the house with the smell of apples, sugar and spice. Calming and seasonal.
Apple pie here for our upcoming Thanksgiving, as well as a cranberry "pie" that really is a top cookie crust over cranberries. Someone else will probably make pumpkin pie. Mince pie (the sweet fruit kind) for Christmas. Peach pie in the summer should there be enough peaches. All pie is good pie.
Too bad for the rude guest, I bet he gets lonely in his perfection.
ceci
Gosh, I realise reading this that I never – but never – make pies for pudding. They weren't a feature of my childhood either, apart from lemon meringue and I discount that as the pastry was on the bottom. A hot fruit pudding was/is always a crumble, or an open tart or a tarte tatin. I once made a cobbler but wasn't smitten enough to repeat. And for a savoury course I make a Russian fish pie with puff pastry, or very occasionally a steak pie with puff pastry, but always shop bought pastry. Perhaps just my family – I do remember with great fondness the apple pie that was often on the lunch menu at school – home-made by the cooks in situ.
Your guest was hilariously rude – the only way with people like that is to treat them as a figure of amusement.
Just a quick note…how many apples do you use for one pie, double crust? And I am glad you use Granny Smiths, much nicer than the usual Bramley, I think. This time, I will spell my name correctly – I was replying on my phone before and my fingers seem to be like spades.
D2Zen: He has some character quirks, and Ego figures significantly in them. . . Thank you! Yes, my g'daughter has imprinted on my pie which has so far rendered inutile her father's attempts to woo her over to his pastry (which is very good in a different way. "different" being the important word there).
Hostess: The classics: Crisco, Tenderflake, Fluffo. . . fading into the woodwork now as healthier and more organic versions line the shelves. . . I think your Joy of Cooking is the same vintage as mine. Another classic! 😉
Lisa: Gustatory Gusto is what my pies thrive on 😉
Anonymous: Lovely, lovely memories — and impressive that your mother still makes and rolls her own pastry, thumbing her nose at arthritis. Pie-making is more physical than many would think.
Tiffany: Mmmm, the sour-cream pastry would be amazing, and you've got the chops to handle it, I'm sure. I don't do the fiddly stuff well. Your mother. . . . I love that you can recognize the compliment in her admission. It's so hard for some, isn't it? And yes, she's actually had the birthday during the writing of this. . . .
I had to laugh at this charming post – especially since my own traditional pie crust (handed down from my mother) is, deliberately, the exact opposite of yours: oil instead of shortening, no egg, and a final result that my family likes because it is what they know (and I like it because it is so easy to handle!). I always roll the dough between sheets of wax paper, and have found this superior to silicone sheets because it is easier to remove from the dough without sticking. Just as an aside, I recently read an article explaining what to do about the "problem" of extra crust after you have used what you needed for the pie, with the revolutionary "solution" of making cinnamon sugar-filled cookies, which I have been doing for over 65 years (not bothering to fill them, just sprinkling the rolled-out leftovers and then rolling them up a bit) – hasn't everyone?
Taste of France: That is impressive! And very promising for meals around your place . . .
Annie: I honestly think it's an insecurity issue, but it still stirred my own latent insecurities. Too funny, right? I think apple pie-making is a perfect activity with the right kind of houseguest. . .
Ceci: All pie is good pie indeed (although I'm not fond of the humble variety ;-). . . I'm very curious about the cranberry pie and I'll have to Google that when I'm done here. Tart? Sweet? Hmmm. . .
Linda B: Crumbles (which we usually call an Apple Betty or Apple Crisp in our house) are a quick and delicious way to get much of the effect of a pie (baking smell! mmmm!). And a Tarte Tatin definitely counts as pie (I'll sometimes make a galette if I'm wanting to stretch the pastry). As for puff pastry, my dad had pointers for that as well, but I've never felt especially motivated, and there's such good pre-made product available these days. . . . I'd be buying it, just as you do.
Annie: Hmmm, depends on the size, about 4 to 6. That's not very helpful, is it? Sorry. As for the Granny Smith, I must say we have ever so much less selection of apples–at the grocery store, at least– here than you do. There's been renewed interest in heritage apples in the last 15 or 20 years, but there are 5 or 6 types that dominate and most are strictly eating apples. . .
Marsha: Wonderful! I love this example of family pie history — and I'm curious to know this pastry recipe. My Joy of Cooking has a recipe for a pie crust that is made in the pie plate with vegetable oil — and requires only pressing into its form rather than rolling. I used to use it occasionally for quiche (or, as my family called it when I was growing up "Ham and egg pie 😉 and I liked it very much for getting a simple but tasty and impressive enough family meal on the table in a hurry. . .
My mother made that lard pie crust from the package recipe all her life, until she stopped baking a few years ago. You've made me think of the taste of my childhood. I think baling a pie might be in my future!
My "Joy" looks much like yours does. Well used and loved.
I agree with everyone else, that guest was so rude and probably sexist to boot. Brenda
My mother was famous for her strawberry pies, but I'm almost ashamed to admit I've never made a pie from scratch, nor have I done much baking of any kind, aside from oatmeal & chocolate chip cookies for gatherings back in my high school days. I'll admit, I'm in awe of anyone who can make a pie from scratch!
My pie stories before I start my day-before-Thanksgiving countdown…Much easier in retirement, thank goodness. After several years of “hockey puck” crusts I began buying roll-out crust at the store. Since many of my family enjoyed the filling and (mostly) left the crust for the compost, I decided it was a reasonable compromise. The store brand tastes much better than the national brand interestingly enough…My mother, who never met a box or can she did not like, used box pie crusts, I think the brand was Jiffy. My aunt who was a registered dietitian and ran a large Boston area hospital kitchen, not only made extraordinary pies, but she could slice them with a surgeon’s precision. I once watched her cut a pie into perfect fifths! Although my son does not yet have a significant other, it is well known in our family that pie will be featured strongly in a wedding reception. He could care less about cake and once got into a bidding war at a church auction paying $32 for a homemade strawberry and rhubarb pie! Re your rude guest: I might have (now) responded with an “Is that so…” not so much as a younger cook. And off I go…
Pies do not play a major role in this country's cuisine,and I cannot remember eating or making pies as a child. With increasing culinary curiosity I started adopting crumbles into my repertoire, then a leek quiche. That was when I learned to mix together flour, butter, and water with a cold knife. After learning about tourtieres on this blog, I tried to make some and liked them a lot, although I am afraid this reccipe ist not going to make it into the family's Christmas traditions. My latest addition is a "crostata di limone", which works on the coffee table or as dessert.
Criticising the food when you are a guest is the worst of manners. I wonder how you managed to remain so polite.
Lard pastry, that brings back a funny memory. My mother and grandmother were excellent cooks but baking was not their forte. However Nana’s neighbour was a fine baker and featherlight lard pastry her specialty. My brother aged about eleven, was visiting Nana and the neighbour gave him a large apple pie to take home to the family. Brother boarded the tram and placed the pie carefully on the seat beside him. He was gazing out the window, daydreaming, when he felt shuffling beside him. To his horror, a very fat woman sat beside him completely squashing the pie. Brother was too embarrassed to say anything and leapt off the tram at the next stop. My mother saw the funny side, thanking the neighbour for the delicious treat but giving us strict instructions never to divulge the fate of the pie lest her feelings be hurt. As for your ungracious guest, words fail.
Lilibet
Your apple pie looks so yummy,I 'll always prefer the taste to the formal-perfect look-and your "new friend" was simply rude (I hope he doesn't still exist as an "old friend",or otherwise,that he has learned some etiquette by now)
We don't bake pies like this,our baking pan is rectangular and we have two layers of pastry. Pies are mostly apple pies or cottage cheese pies
Pastry:250 g flour
150 g unsalted butter
50 g sugar
2 table spoons of sour cream ( optional,I add only some water for the dough)
1 table spoon of rhum
some lemon zest
Divide in two parts,put to rest a while in a fridge
One half goes on the bottom (and you can bake it a little , before you fill it,the other one on the top. Make little cuts with a knife ,to allow to "breathe" during baking
500 g of apples (I take what I have)
50 g sugar
30 g of sultanas (I don't like them in pies,so I skip this)
rhum again 🙂
cinnamon
some bread crumbs (optional)
30 g of powdered sugar on the top,before serving
These are basics,we made so many variations
I'll have to buy the round baking dish and try to make your round pie
My grandmother used to bake lard cookies
Dottoressa
Brenda: So many memories are bound up with pies, right? And with that Joy of Cooking! Interesting to watch a culinary history of a lifetime through a rearview mirror. . .
Susan B: There are good reasons to avoid doing much baking as it seems to go directly to the midsection and stay there. . . Strawberry pies! I've never tried one but have fond memories of ones that used to feature at a now-defunct department store restaurant here. So much seems to depend on getting that glaze just right.
Carol in VT: A very solid approach to pie-making! We learn to play to our strengths, right? And if your son holds pies in such high esteem, your system worked 😉
Eleonore: The double-crust pie doesn't seem to be a very European phenomenon overall, as far as I can tell (British yes, but the continent not so much, as far as I can tell in my limited travel experience). I don't know that the Christmas tourtière existed in France before it developed into such a tradition in Canada. Questions for a food historian, I suppose. As I say to Brenda, above, it's interesting to see how much culinary history has formed/passed in my lifetime. Some big pattern changes, for sure!
Lilibet: What a great anecdote — thank you so much for sharing! I had to read it aloud to my husband and we had such a good laugh over it — imagining your brother's horror, and then wondering if the woman had the pie stuck to her afterward. . . I'm guessing that story has been retold a few times over the years in your family 😉
Dottoressa: So generous of you, and I'm definitely going to try this one. I think lard cookies must have featured in my grandmother's kitchen as well, perhaps even my mother baked like this once. Lard was too valuable as a source of fuel to turn up a nose at. (My grandmother made her own laundry soap from beef tallow, rendered). . . .Sometimes I make the pie freeform on a cookie sheet, and just bring the pastry up over the filling from underneath, the centre not covered. . . . you could try that instead of buying a new pan. . .
Google Laurie Corwin Nantucket Cranberry Pie for "my' cranberry pie recipe – its actually good made with pears, peaches, plums….but a sweet for sure.
ceci
Another vote for Laurie Colwin’s Nantucket Cranberry Pie. It’s really more of a cake with the cranberry mixture on the bottom and cake mixture on top. It’s easy to make and pretty wonderful with vanilla ice cream.
Ceci and Anonymous: Thank you! I'm obviously going to have to put this one on the menu soon. . . .
Your pie looks beautiful and I want to eat 2 slices!! I'm pretty popular for my pies too (except that ill-fated gluten-free one – you can ask Glenn about it!) and my crusts are totally short. That's what makes the crust awesomely delicious. It's all about the texture. Seriously, if I could find a way to make my crusts look bakery gorgeous and also taste awesome, I'd go for it. And really, no one's ever eaten a profesh-looking pie that actually tasted amazing. That's why I never order it in a restaurant – even one known for its desserts. The crust is like cardboard when it looks great.