“SOMEONE’S IN THE KITCHEN”

In the sink was a mountain of purple, white, orange and brown. Layered like sand art. The Badlands at dusk. Turnips. Parsnips. Carrots. Potatoes. Not the vegetables themselves. Those were already bubbling in my mom’s stew. Just the peelings were enough for me. I loved to get to them before my mom could gather them up and throw them away. I pulled a chair up to the sink so I could reach, plugged the drain and ran some water. This would be MY stew. I would play happily in the sink adding salt, pepper, other seasonings, mixing with my hands until the water grew cold and my fingers ached, and then grew numb.

I really don’t remember a time when I wasn’t in the kitchen. I quickly graduated to helping my dad make his famous barbecue sauce and hearty chili. I am afraid that from him I learned to be a very messy cook.

My husband used to stay up late with me while I cooked or baked and help me clean up. Those days are gone. (In his defense, it is not uncommon for me to start a three layered chocolate cake at 10:00 PM).

I am of the “practice makes perfect” school of cooking. Before my first daughter’s first birthday I tested a half dozen cakes before landing on her great-grandma Jones’ angel food cake recipe (sifted six times). I have probably tried and modified two dozen pie crust recipes and experimented with countless techniques. Apple pie fillings from Gourmet Magazine to Julie Child have filled those crusts but I have returned to the recipe I got from my mom...with a couple of ingredient suggestions of my own thrown in.

Here then, is my first recipe:

Mom’s (Literally) Apple Pie

6-8 tart apples (6 cups) *see tips
¾-1 cup sugar
2 Tbls. flour
1 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
dash salt
2 Tbls butter

1 9-inch double pie crust (see below)

Stir together flour, spices and salt. Mix with apples. Place evenly in pie tin covered with bottom pie crust. Dot apple mixture with butter. Cover with top pie crust. Trim and seal crust with a fork or using fingers to make a decorative edge. Brush top crust with egg white. Sprinkle with sugar. Make slits with a knife all over top crust to release steam.

Bake at 400 for 50 minutes.

* Trish’s Tips
In the fall in Minnesota I use Haralson apples. In other areas, Granny Smith would be a good substitute.

I cover the pie edges with edge protectors to keep them from burning. Spray lightly with cooking spray first to keep from sticking.

Before pre-heating the oven line the bottom with a non-stick oven liner or foil to catch juice that boils over.


Foolproof (with the emphasis on proof) Pie Dough

After years of searching, I landed on a pie dough recipe I found in Cooks Illustrated. It uses half vodka and half water. This allows you to use more moisture in the preparation, making the dough easier to work with. Unlike water, the alcohol content of the vodka evaporates during cooking ensuring more tender dough.

One 9 Inch Double Crust Pie

21/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp table salt
2 Tbls sugar
12 Tbls (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup cold vegetable shortening cut into pieces
¼ cup cold vodka
¼ cup ice water

Process 1 ½ cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Ad remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4 inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

(reprinted with permission of Cooks Illustrated)