Yours is the Earth

Ryan and I have been getting lots of apples in our CSA basket lately. I mean, LOTS of apples. I know, I should freeze some. But I haven’t gotten around to that yet, so this week I made apple pie! I made so many apple pies, in fact, that we have decided to give the most recent batch to our awesome neighbors.

I packaged up these cuties to drop off on doorsteps this evening, and hopefully bring a smile to the faces of those receiving them, especially on a rainy, chilly day like this one.

Here’s my go-to recipe for apple pie. It can be used for any size or shape of pie. Feel free to cut the apples however you want, as well.

For the crust (taken from Tartelette…this is my FAVORITE pie crust recipe ever):

1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1/4 Sugar

1/2 Tsp salt

1 Egg, divided

1/4 Cup cold milk

1 Stick butter, diced

For the filling:

3 Apples, sliced, diced, you name it

1 lemon, juiced and zested

1 Tbs honey

1/4 Tsp cinnamon

1/8 Tsp nutmeg

1 Tbs flour

To make the crust…

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add in the diced butter and process in a food processor (or cut by hand with one of those old fashioned dough mixing thingies) until the crust is crumbly and the butter resembles little peas throughout. In a small dish, whisk together the yolk of the egg with the cold milk. Slowly pour, while mixing, into the crumbly dough. Mix until it just forms a ball. Form the dough into a round, flat disk about 2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or over night.

To make the filling…

Peel, core, and chop the apples. If you’re making this into a galette (a freeform, open pie), I would suggest slicing. It’s prettier. If you’re making a small hand pie or turnover, try dicing them. Toss the apples with the lemon juice and about 1/2 TBS zest. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, honey and flour. Stir together. I like to mix this up at the same time as the dough so it has time to meld together while you’re waiting on the dough to chill. Store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. It can stay good in there for a few days, if you need it to.

Then, I just put the pie together by rolling out the dough on a floured surface to 1/4 or 1/8 inch thick. I use whatever circular-shaped gadget or cup I’ve got around for my “cookie cutter”. Sometimes, if I want to be really rustic (aka lazy), I just use a sharp knife and eye-ball the circles.

When your pie is in the shape/size you want, use the leftover egg white to brush the top or sides. This step is really important if you want a pretty, shiny golden crust. I like to gild the lily by using sparkling sugar on the top, as well.

READ Fine Cooking’s In Season — Jamie’s recommendation! This one looks like a beautifully photographed seasonal recipe book. It’s broken down by the season and ingredient.

COOK Panzanella. This perfect-for-summer salad of toasted bread cubes and marinated veggies goes with virtually any meal. It’s a tasty way to use up those garden veggies and herbs, or stretch them for a crowd. My favorite recipe comes from Ina Garten. This one from Helene Dujardin looks yummy, too.

GATHER at a county fair! It’s that time of year… Here in the midwest, there’s one every weekend. This is the best time to be bad and eat that funnel cake or kettle corn. You know you wanna. It’s also a great time to meet your local farmers! You might get a rare opportunity to learn a little about agriculture in your area—you will most likely be surprised by how much there is, even if you live in a city. Find county fairs in your area by doing a quick Google search. Each state’s website usually has a listing.

WISH for these adorable “picardie” glasses. They’re the perfect size for a gimlet, and their classic French style will never get old. Quitokeeto, a new online pop-up shop has them at a great price!