That cracks me up! Pi Day! I love a world that can be so awful one minute and celebrating Happy Pi Day the next. Guess I better share my old friend, Virginia's fabulous Apple Pie recipe in honor of Pi Day!
Virginia is Mennonite from the heart of Kansas farm country and used to sell me the most delicious, rich, Guernsey milk and cream from their farm. We became friends and she taught me how to make the best apple pie and Mennonite dill pickles I have ever tasted. She didn't use exact measurements so you will have to make some of the amounts according to your tastes. She had a jillion ways to use cream in her recipes, like creamed cucumbers over boiled potatoes. She put cream in everything, it seemed. It was luscious-the thickest, yellowest cream I have ever seen. I bought raw milk from several farms over the years, including some Jersey milk, but none was as rich and flavorful as that Guernsey milk! I remember those cows were a beautiful cream and warm brown color and looked to be about 7 feet tall! Virginia and her family ate well from the garden as well as, all that rich milk and cream, and not one person in the family was ever overweight! Goes along with what I have found since doing the Atkins way of eating-I don't think fat is the villain, sugar is.
First of all, she used lard in the pie crust and mixed the crust with her finger tips. This takes practice and I never did get it, but, it is worth it if you can do it! (or, try the food processor). Then she sliced the apples, which she said MUST be JONATHAN apples-on a mandoline type of metal slicer she said was Mennonite and hard to find. It sliced the apples thinner than most slicers and helped make the pie extra good. She also used her rich cream in her pie which is no longer available, so I substitute whipping cream.
Virginia's Apple Pie
Lard Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
scant 1/2 cup lard
little bit of salt (pinch or two)
ice cold water as needed just to make dough stick together
Cut lard into flour with fingers or pastry cutter using very light touch so as not to make it tough, or pulse in food processor. Work water in with fingers very quickly-lightly until can press dough together. Can chill dough before rolling out. Roll out on lightly floured surface to desired thickness. Fold dough in half and place on one half of pie pan then open dough to cover all of pie plate. Tap down all around and use knife against edge of pie pan to cut off excess dough. Roll out the top piece of dough and cover with plastic wrap til ready to place on the pie.
Filling:
approximately 6 cups Jonathan apples, peeled and cored, quartered and sliced thin (1/16 inch, maybe)
1/2 cup Brown sugar or so
1/4 cup white sugar or all brown sugar
about 2 T. flour
pinch of salt
1 teas. or more to taste, of cinnamon
2-3 T. cream
2 T. butter
From what I remember, you just fill the pie crust with the apples and evenly sprinkly the rest of the ingredients over the apples then dot the apples with a few pieces of butter. Lay out the top crust on lightly floured surface and cut some vent slits in the crust, in a design like a stem with leaves on it or whatever you like. For further decoration, you can cut out a few leaf shapes and wet the back of them, then stick them on the top crust for decoration. Wet the top rim of the bottom pie crust and place the top crust over the pie, pressing down on the edge to stick them together. Cut excess edges off and crimp edge between two fingers. Lightly brush top of crust with cream and bake. You can also sprinkle little sugar on top of the pie before baking. I don't think Virginia did this but, she did brush the crust with cream.
I don't remember the temperature she used to bake her pie but, most apple pies are baked at about 425 for 40-45 minutes, on a sheet of foil or cookie sheet until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown.
Virginia is Mennonite from the heart of Kansas farm country and used to sell me the most delicious, rich, Guernsey milk and cream from their farm. We became friends and she taught me how to make the best apple pie and Mennonite dill pickles I have ever tasted. She didn't use exact measurements so you will have to make some of the amounts according to your tastes. She had a jillion ways to use cream in her recipes, like creamed cucumbers over boiled potatoes. She put cream in everything, it seemed. It was luscious-the thickest, yellowest cream I have ever seen. I bought raw milk from several farms over the years, including some Jersey milk, but none was as rich and flavorful as that Guernsey milk! I remember those cows were a beautiful cream and warm brown color and looked to be about 7 feet tall! Virginia and her family ate well from the garden as well as, all that rich milk and cream, and not one person in the family was ever overweight! Goes along with what I have found since doing the Atkins way of eating-I don't think fat is the villain, sugar is.
First of all, she used lard in the pie crust and mixed the crust with her finger tips. This takes practice and I never did get it, but, it is worth it if you can do it! (or, try the food processor). Then she sliced the apples, which she said MUST be JONATHAN apples-on a mandoline type of metal slicer she said was Mennonite and hard to find. It sliced the apples thinner than most slicers and helped make the pie extra good. She also used her rich cream in her pie which is no longer available, so I substitute whipping cream.
Virginia's Apple Pie
Lard Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
scant 1/2 cup lard
little bit of salt (pinch or two)
ice cold water as needed just to make dough stick together
Cut lard into flour with fingers or pastry cutter using very light touch so as not to make it tough, or pulse in food processor. Work water in with fingers very quickly-lightly until can press dough together. Can chill dough before rolling out. Roll out on lightly floured surface to desired thickness. Fold dough in half and place on one half of pie pan then open dough to cover all of pie plate. Tap down all around and use knife against edge of pie pan to cut off excess dough. Roll out the top piece of dough and cover with plastic wrap til ready to place on the pie.
Filling:
approximately 6 cups Jonathan apples, peeled and cored, quartered and sliced thin (1/16 inch, maybe)
1/2 cup Brown sugar or so
1/4 cup white sugar or all brown sugar
about 2 T. flour
pinch of salt
1 teas. or more to taste, of cinnamon
2-3 T. cream
2 T. butter
From what I remember, you just fill the pie crust with the apples and evenly sprinkly the rest of the ingredients over the apples then dot the apples with a few pieces of butter. Lay out the top crust on lightly floured surface and cut some vent slits in the crust, in a design like a stem with leaves on it or whatever you like. For further decoration, you can cut out a few leaf shapes and wet the back of them, then stick them on the top crust for decoration. Wet the top rim of the bottom pie crust and place the top crust over the pie, pressing down on the edge to stick them together. Cut excess edges off and crimp edge between two fingers. Lightly brush top of crust with cream and bake. You can also sprinkle little sugar on top of the pie before baking. I don't think Virginia did this but, she did brush the crust with cream.
I don't remember the temperature she used to bake her pie but, most apple pies are baked at about 425 for 40-45 minutes, on a sheet of foil or cookie sheet until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown.
