Summer got off to a slow start this year, so I was hoping that it would linger all the way to Halloween. Unfortunately, we were SOL even back in September – fall is definitely here, and I’ve actually had to dig out my scarf for several blustery evenings. But on the bright side, cooler weather means that I can use my oven again, and apple pies always top the list of foods I’ve missed. I was in the Berkshires this past weekend with friends, and apple pie was the perfect end to days spent relaxing in brisk autumnal air.
Though nothing may seem as American (as the saying goes), apple pies actually have a long, multicultural history. Ancient Egyptians are credited with making the first flour-and-water pastry shells, but it was the Romans who went a step further and created the first pies – honey and goat cheese at first, with meat fillings prevailing over time. As the Roman Empire proliferated throughout Europe, so did their pies, and it was in England that the apple pies we love today were first born.
Until the 1300’s, English pies were primarily savory, consisting of mincemeat baked in hollowed-out pumpkin shells. But Roman pastry crusts proved popular; because the top crusts inadvertently preserved food, the English began baking fruit pies as a way of storing fruit for use during the winter. Cherries, pears and quinces were common, as well as the traditional mincemeat, but the pastry generally went uneaten. Crusts were seen merely as way of keeping the more-important filling together. Furthermore, early pies were unsweetened – sugar was scarce, and imported at great cost from Egypt.
When the pilgrims first settled in the U.S., their pie-making proved useful for the difficult winter months. Meat pies were the norm until apple pips could be brought over from England (crabapples are the only apples native to North America). By the mid-1600’s, most land owners were planting apple trees, and the trend was further promoted by John Chapman, AKA Johnny Appleseed, who planted apple orchards throughout the Midwest and gave a bag of seeds to anyone heading West. Now that apples were widely available, apple pie recipes multiplied. Today’s typically American apple pie is a hybrid of English history and Dutch sensibilities – soldiers of the Revolutionary War stationed in Pennsylvania brought home the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of using cinnamon and sugar in the filling as well as creating an edible lattice crust.
Of course, there are about as many variations on apple pie as there are people to bake them, especially now that they have become popular worldwide. Though I consider cinnamon essential for any apple pie, I’m lucky if I can motivate myself to make my own dough, let alone cut it into the strips necessary for a lattice shell. So instead, my first pie of the fall ditched the double crust and featured a walnut streusel. All of the English apples and Dutch sweetness, but with a twist – the modern American penchant for spending as little time as possible slaving away in the kitchen.
Apple Pie with Walnut Streusel (Gourmet Magazine)
For pastry dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
For topping:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
For filling:
3 pounds Golden Delicious or Jonagold apples (about 6 medium)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
To make pastry dough:
In a large bowl with a pastry blender or in a food processor blend or pulse together flour, sugar, salt, and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and toss with a fork or pulse until incorporated. Add enough remaining ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing or pulsing to incorporate, until mixture begins to form a dough. On a work surface smear dough in 3 or 4 forward motions with heel of hand to slightly develop gluten in flour and make dough easier to work with. Form dough into a ball and flatten to form a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.
To make topping:
In a small bowl with your fingertips blend butter, brown sugar, and flour until smooth and blend in nuts. Chill topping, covered.
To make filling:
Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 1/2-inch wedges and in a bowl toss with remaining filling ingredients to coat.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 15-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and fold into quarters for ease of handling. Unfold dough in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 10-inch deep-dish (1 1/2-quart) pie plate, easing to fit and letting dough overhang rim of skillet or pie plate. Spoon filling into shell and fold pastry overhang over filling, leaving center uncovered. Bake pie in middle of oven 1 hour (pie will not be completely cooked) and remove from oven.
Crumble topping over center of pie, breaking up any large chunks. Brush crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake pie in middle of oven 30 minutes more, or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling. Cool pie on a rack.
Serve pie warm or at room temperature with ice cream.
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