Neddy’s Kitchen

I created this recipe in an attempt to duplicate the wonderful “French Apple Pie” that I remember from the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s when I was growing up in Maryland. My husband remembers it being served often in the dining hall when he was a midshipman at Annapolis. He says it was always accompanied by a slice of American cheese.

The Crust:

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar or Splenda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick chilled unsalted butter (4 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons walnut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 5-7 tablespoons cold milk or ice water

Mix flours, sugar and salt in bowl. Cut in butter until the mixture is consists of pea size lumps. With a fork stir in the oil and liquid. When dough is moist and holds together, form into ball. Place in a kitchen plastic bag and flatten into a disk. Wrap and chill until dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.

Food Processor Method: Mix flour, sugar and salt in processor. Cut in the butter using six on/off pulses, or until the mixture consists of pea size lumps. Pour the combined milk (water) and oil into the running food processor, just until moist clumps form, aAdding more cold milk if the dough seems too dry.

Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured work surface making two 12-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under. Crimp edges decoratively. (If the crust is prepared ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to two days.)

Makes one 9-inch double crust.

The Filling

• 4-5 large fresh apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced. (I usualy leave some peel on the apple as it gives a bit of a crunch to the texture of the filling.)
• 5 tablespoons corn starch (corn flour)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground dry ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 cup raisins soaked in 1/4 cup rum or brandy
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Wash the apples and remove any grocery stickers as peelers often get stuck on them. Core and thinly slice the apples. You may do this with an ordinary paring knife or with the nifty Oxo “Good Grips” apple corer. Remove seeds, stems, and pithy parts near the seeds and brown or soft spots. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, corn starch and spices.

Now begin preheating your oven to 425 degrees F.

Place one of the crusts in a 9 inch pie pan. Sprinkle about five tablespoons of the sugar-spice mixture into the pie crust and place a layer of apple slices, one slice deep, on top. Sprinkle some of the rum raisins on that. Continue layering the sugar-spice mix, apples, and raisins, keeping all snug so the air space is minimized. The apples cook down considerably, therefore they should be piled between 1 - 1.5 inches above the top of the pan. Place the top crust and seal and crimp edges and slice steam holes. Put the pie in the oven and cook at 425 degrees F for ten minutes. Turn the heat down to 375 degrees F and cook for another 45 minutes to one hour.

The Icing

When pie has cooled, beat until smooth 1 egg white with 1 cup of confectioners sugar and 1 tablespoon of rum or vanilla. Spread or pour on cooled pie and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

This crust is so perfect, there is no necessity of blind-baking. Ice-cold water can be used in place of the milk which will make a crisper crust. Made with milk, the crust is more tender and can be used for free-form pies. Although I have never tried it, others say that this recipe is delicious using butter flavored Crisco instead of the oil. Below is a picture of the lattice top cherry pie that I made at Christmas using this pie crust recipe.

1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon sugar or Splenda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 tablespoons cold milk

Mix flour, sugar and salt in bowl. Cut in butter until the mixture is consists of pea size lumps. With a fork stir in the vegetable oil and milk. When dough is moist and holds together, form into ball. Place in a kitchen plastic bag and flatten into a disk. Wrap and chill until dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.

Food Processor Method: Mix flour, sugar and salt in processor. Cut in the butter using six on/off pulses, or until the mixture consists of pea size lumps. Pour the combined milk and oil into the running the food processor, just until moist clumps form. Adding more cold milk if the dough seems too dry.

Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured work surface making a 12-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under. Crimp edges decoratively. (If the crust is prepared ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to two days.)

Makes one 9-inch crust. Double recipe for a double crusted pie.

This recipe was adapted from one appearing in the newspaper by Elinor Klivans.

4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup, or light corn syrup
1/2 cup Steen’s 100% Cane Syrup or molasses
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 - 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
1 1/2 - 2 cups pecans, whole or coarsely chopped

1 9-inch pie shell, partially baked*.

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Combine all ingredients except the pecans and mix well. Add the pecans into the mixture and pour into the pie shell. If using unchopped pecans, gently turn over the pecan halves to face right-side up.

3. Place pie pan on a cookie sheet, in case of drips. Bake at 325 degrees on the lowest rack of the preheated oven until just set, about 45 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving. To make neat slices, freeze the pie first and then slice the entire pie into wedges using a serrated knife.  Allow to come to room temperature before serving. A French-type tart tin with removable sides makes the slices especially attractive.

Serves 8.

*Prebaking is optional, but recommended as it results in a pie crust that is less soggy. Weight down the inside of the crust and bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 8 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.