We are in full swing apple season at the orchard here. If you meander through, or pass our farm these days, there’s a good likelihood that you will see the triangular ladders unique to orchards propped up throughout the rows of trees. If you stop and listen, you will probably hear the chatter of the pickers as they move through, filling bin after bin of apples. After all four bins are full, the tractor pulls them off to the storage and returns with empty bins and the cycle repeats itself. Here are some pictures. I love this time of year.
These guys are picking the quintessential North American apple; the McIntosh. It seems appropriate to let you in on a little secret here. “I don’t care for Macs”, she whispers timidly. She continues, “I normally don’t eat Macs because I prefer an ultra crunchy apple”. BUT!!! This time of year I will occasionally eat a Mac because they are actually crunchy enough and tart enough to please my finicky palate. AND I will use them in a pie because they hold their shape a little better than they will later. In keeping with sentiments of nostalgia, it has to be a Dutch Apple pie, which delights my husband. And in making the Dutch Apple pie, visions of grandmother float through my head. I can still picture her scattering the brown sugar crumbs over top, then poking holes in through the apples with the handle of a wooden spoon and slowly pouring the cream into the cavities, whistling under her breath all the while. Now I do that whistling thing, much to the annoyance of my children. It helps with high-concentration jobs like pouring cream into pies just so. Or ironing. It really helps to get that job done. I’m convinced that some day my children will remember my whistle with fondness too.
Because I was trying to pour cream out of my cute little pitcher slowly with one hand while taking a photo with the other, I got a bit too much cream into the pie so it got a little soupy. Lesson learned. Next time I’ll pre-measure the amount into my cute little pitcher. My grandma never had to take pictures of herself pouring cream so her pies were always perfect. At least they were in my memory. My pie looked good before I cut into it, though, and it still tasted good, so here it is! Yours will be perfect, I’m sure.
The perfect Dutch Apple Pie.
The not-so-perfect but still good Dutch Apple pie.
Strategically placing the ice cream helped with the overall appearance.
The McIntosh apple is an icon of North American orchards. It is slightly tart, slightly sweet, and very juicy. This high percentage of juice makes it a perfect sauce apple and there are McIntosh diehard fans who refuse to eat anything but a fresh Mac. It is good in pies if you like a soft apple in your pastry. Its season runs from mid-September until about May.
This post is sponsored by Martin’s Family Fruit Farm. For more apple updates, visit their site here.
about 7 medium apples, peeled and cut into chunks or slices to equal 4 cups
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons high fat milk or cream
1 10″ unbaked pie crust (see here for a good gluten-free version)
Directions
Peel and cut apples into your desired shapes. Traditionally Dutch Apple pies are chunky. Combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Put the apples into the unbaked pie crust and sprinkle the crumbs evenly over top. Poke holes in top and pour the cream carefully into the holes. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 35-45 minutes or until the apples are soft and a rich syrup has formed. Turn heat down partway through baking time if the pie is browning too fast. Best served warm or at room temperature, but it should be chilled to store overnight.
Orchard News and Chews 