Homemade Apple Pie

Homemade Apple Pie
Dorcas Annette Walker

I don’t remember the exact age when I made my first apple pie. I started cooking when I was still small enough that I had to stand on a chair by the stove so I’m sure it wasn’t many years later that I started making pies. I do remember the anxious feeling as my father took his first bite of my apple pie and then the surge of triumph when he nodded and smiled in satisfaction. Maybe if I had known that passing my apple pie test would result in making at least four pies a week from then on I wouldn’t have been quite so thrilled. My father was Pennsylvania Dutch and to him the perfect ending to a meal was a piece of pie. His favorite was Homemade Apple Pie. Frankly I became sick of making two apple pies each week, although it got to the place that I could have made them with my eyes shut. I didn’t try as every baking day my father would wheel himself in his wheelchair over to the table where I rolled out my pie crusts to oversee the baking operations with an eagle eye. My mother, when home from working at the hospital, was quite amazed at the speed in which I could whip up a batch of pies. I’ve teased my husband that he married me for cherry pie. When we started going together Dana managed to show up quite frequently at mealtimes- institutionalized cooking stood no chance compared to a home cooked meal. I soon found out that he loved cherry pie. Getting married to me meant freedom from ever making pies again and I joyfully started baking all kinds of cakes. After a month my bewildered husband asked when I was going to bake some pies. I landed back on the earth with a thud. We laugh about it now as I’ve made zillions of pies (with plenty of cakes in-between) since then. Every autumn the sight and smell of apples brings back memories of my childhood baking days and I find myself making a Homemade Apple Pie. There is nothing so cozy on a bleak fall day as tasting a freshly-baked apple pie hot from the oven.

Shortening is a solid fat made from vegetable oils such as soybean and cottonseed used to make baked goods light and flaky. The term “shortening” can be broadly used to apply to any kind of fat used for baking such as: butter, lard, or margarine. Shortening though has a higher smoke tolerance than butter or margarine, needs no refrigeration, and lengthens the shelf life of baked goods. Crisco was first produced in 1911. More recent innovations include: Canola, Corn, and Natural Blend oils along with No-Stick Cooking Sprays. The clear bottles of cooking oil and round cans of shortening are quite a departure from the boxes of lard that I used years ago when making pie crusts.

The aroma of a baking Homemade Apple Pie fills the house with promises of culinary delight. You can also add raisins, chopped nuts, and caramel ice cream topping to the apple pie filling for a different twist. To speed up the process, yet give the flavor of homemade, you can use frozen pie crusts. I also use an apple peeler to peel my apples. Preparation time for my Homemade Apple Pie takes around thirty minutes and one pie serves eight.

Homemade Apple Pie

Crust:
2½ c self-rising flour
1 c shortening
1 egg
½ c cold water
Mix together flour and shortening- cutting the shortening into the flour with two knives until evenly mixed. Add the egg and stir in the cold water until a ball forms. Roll out half of the dough thin on a floured surface and line in a pie dish. Roll out the rest of the dough on a floured surface for the top crust.

Apple Pie Filling:
Peel and slice up six large or eight medium-sized apples of your choice in a large bowl and add:
1 c sugar
¼ c four
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
Mix together thoroughly and pour into pie crust.

Line the top crust over the apple filling and seal. Poke holes in the top crust with a knife. Sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon on top. Bake the apple pie at 350º for one hour. You can serve the Homemade Apple Pie either hot or cold and you may garnish with a scoop of your favorite ice cream!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Autumn Apple Nut Cake

Autumn Apple Nut Cake
Dorcas Annette Walker

There are many uses for apples. One is making cider. Nearby the theological college where my husband attended were several apple orchards. Every fall a big tourist attraction in the area was the cider that some of the Mennonites had perfected with their special blending of apples. No cider I’ve tasted since has come close. To Dana and the other out-of-state fellows who lived in the dorm, the taste of homemade cider with its aroma of newly crushed apples was the next thing to heaven. It also was a big money maker for the senior class. Dana and some of his buddies each bought a gallon of cider to drink. What nobody thought to tell these guys was that cider needed to stay refrigerated. After a week of sitting in their warm dorm rooms the sweet cider turned hard. Despite the change in taste- it was beginning to burn as it went down- they began daring each other and bragging about how much they could drink. Dana and his friends ended up getting uproariously happy and had quite a party in the boy’s dorm. Everything was quickly hushed up and the school officials banned all classes from selling cider for any future class fund raisers to avoid any hint of a scandal. For the record, I make sure that any cider entering my house stays refrigerated.

Every autumn I bake up a favorite cake I call, Autumn Apple Nut Cake, which uses fresh apples. My Autumn Apple Nut Cake captures the flavor of the fall season like no other cake I’ve tried. Throughout the years I’ve taken a couple of different apple cake recipes blending and mixing ingredients together until I was satisfied. Not only does the subtle taste of spices bring out the tang of the apples in this cake, but my Autumn Apple Nut Cake has a velvet-like moist texture that is filling. Raisins could be added if one desired. The crowning touch to my Autumn Apple Nut Cake is the rich caramel topping. My Autumn Apple Nut Cake takes about twenty minutes to prepare and serves around sixteen.

Autumn Apple Nut Cake

In large mixing bowl beat together:
1 c vegetable oil
1½ c sugar
½ c brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
Add:
3 c self-rising flour
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
Mix thoroughly and then fold in:
1 c chopped pecans (or nuts of your choice)
3 apples peeled and diced
Pour into a greased bunt cake pan and bake at 350º for one hour. Cool for five minutes and then turn out the Autumn Apple Nut Cake on a cake dish and cover.

Caramel Frosting:
¼ c brown sugar
¼ c evaporated milk
2 tb margarine
Microwave for a minute or until the margarine is all melted.
Stir in and beat until smooth:
3 c powdered sugar
Pour the caramel frosting over the cake letting it run down the sides. You can serve the Autumn Apple Nut Cake while it is still warm or wait until it is completely cooled. Keep the cake covered when storing to help it stay moist. You may garnish the Autumn Apple Nut Cake with chopped nuts if you desire!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Granny's Fried Apple Pies

Granny’s Fried Apple Pies
Dorcas Annette Walker

I like to start off my column this week by thanking all who have contacted me with many kind words about my cooking column and those of you who faithfully cut out and save my newspaper column each week- bless you. You definitely brighten my day! I’ve found out that sometimes a chef pops up in the most unexpected places. I was startled one night at supper when my son, Dwight, mentioned that Johnnie (the guy who owns a local body shop where Dwight enjoys hanging out at) loved to cook. I have to confess I was shocked when Dwight said that Johnnie even made Fried Apple Pies. To those of you who don’t live in the South you fry these pies in an iron skillet- honest! Mountain-style fried apple pies are similar (but not near as good) as the mini pastry fruit pies you can buy in the store. You know the ones that used to be four for a dollar, but now you are lucky to buy one for less than a dollar. In fact I can remember when you could buy those same pies at a discount bread store ten for a dollar. Making fried pies, mountain-style, is not in the same classification as doing up a batch of cupcakes so I was quite impressed with Johnnie’s expertise. I was still trying to figure out how to make the crust like the mountain folk. I called Granny and began comparing recipes of those who make fried pies up here on the mountain. I was intrigued to discover that the size of the fried pies is made by using the lid of a 42 oz shortening can measuring five and one quarter inches across. Last night I got out my iron skillet and commenced to fry up a batch of Fried Apple Pies letting my fellows be the judge. I felt I had arrived as the fried pies began disappearing, ignoring the fact that I was running late for supper. At one time I even had a saying on my refrigerator, Never serve meals on time; the starving eat anything! Dwight though, who is a picky eater, made my day when he said that he thought my crust was fluffy and light, even better than some of the other fried pies he had tasted.

Granny’s Fried Apple Pies are a mouth-watering, pastry delicacy oozing with apple pie filling that is irresistible to the taste buds from the first bite onward. Up here on the mountain fried pies aren’t glazed- something I added. I used my own homemade canned apple pie filling, but store bought pie filling would work just as well. Also for a different twist I sprinkled chopped pecans and added a teaspoon of Carmel Ice Cream topping in some of my fried pies. You can add raisins or other fruit fillings, mix-matching ingredients to make your own deluxe fried pies. This recipe of Granny’s Fried Apple Pies makes around twenty-one fried pies, will use close to two cans of apple pie filling, and takes about an hour and a half to do up.

Granny’s Fried Apple Pies

In a large bowl add:
3 c plain flour
1 c self-rising flour
½ c shortening
½ c margarine
Cut in the shortening and butter with two knives until crumbly.

Add and mix thoroughly until dough forms:
1½ c milk
1 egg
Roll out dough thin on a floured surface and cut into circles with the lid of a shortening can. Place one heaping tablespoon of apple pie filling on one side of a circle. Fold the circle in half and seal by pressing the end of a fork along the edge.

Heat together until it reaches sizzling temp in iron skillet then lower:
1 c shortening
½ stick of margarine
Place the fried pies in the hot grease and fry on both sides until golden brown. Add shortening and margarine as needed. Drain the fried pies on a platter lined with paper towels.

Glaze:
3 c powdered sugar
5 tb hot water
Mix together until smooth. Coat the top of the fried pies with glaze. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and serve hot or cold!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Apple Fritters

Apple Fritters
Dorcas Annette Walker

Autumn is the time when leaves change color as the temperature drops and brisk winds begin to blow. It is also the end of the season for harvesting garden produce and fruits. Maybe I’m part squirrel, but as nature commences to fold up her last days of warm weather in preparation for the winter months my blood begins to stir and I find myself scurrying around to put up last minute produce to fill up my pantry and stuff my freezer. I can remember yearly pilgrimages to my grandmother’s basement where she proudly showed off her display of canned goods. As a child it was the colors of the variegated mason jars sitting in tall stately rows rather than the hours of labor that impressed me. Today I have a room next to my kitchen that is my pantry where I arranged rows of canned bounty each year. I love to contrast different colors rather than keeping vegetables separated from fruits. Quarts of pickled red beats sit underneath white pears topped by jars of green beans; orange sweet potatoes are shelved above my green pickles; and canned white potatoes sit next to shelves of ruby tomatoes. I enjoy showing my full pantry to visitors. This is also the season for harvesting apples that range in many hues, sizes, and choices. So for the month of October I’m going to focus on recipes with apples.

A fritter is any kind of food coated in batter and fried. Fritters can be a dessert, side dish, or a main course. There is some debate on how to classify fritters as some consider them to be doughnuts, while others think they belong to the pastry family. Fritters originated from the Middle East and then were introduced to Europe in the 11th and 13th century. There are potato fritters, pineapple fritters, corn fritters, apple fritters, and pea fritters, while in Malaysia sweet potatoes and bananas are fried and sold as snacks. I remember my mother draining leftover corn and adding it to pancake batter to make corn fritters as a special treat. Some Apple Fritter recipes use sliced apples rings that are dipped in batter and deep fried. Fritters can be eaten plain, with syrup, honey, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, ice cream, or you can mix and match toppings.

My Apple Fritter recipe originally came from an old Mennonite cookbook and is easy to make. These fluffy fried Apple Fritters are filling, oozing with a crunchy apple texture and subtle cinnamon flavor. We eat our Apple Fritters hot with melted butter and drizzling syrup. I used Golden Delicious apples, but any apple may be substituted. My Apple Fritter recipe makes six large fritters and takes around thirty minutes all total.

Apple Fritters

2 c self-rising flour
¼ c sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 c milk
2 c peeled and dices apples
In a medium size bowl put flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add egg, vanilla, and milk. Mix together thoroughly. Batter will be thin. Fold in diced apples. Pour batter onto a hot greased griddle or iron skillet and fry until golden brown on both side. Serve hot or cold!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.

Fruit Pizza

Fruit Pizza
Dorcas Annette Walker

There is something about color that fascinates me. In traveling around I was amazed at the dull homes some people live in. I must not be the woodsy type as staying in a place with only brown walls was the quickest way to depress me. I loved coming back home where each colorful room reached out to welcome and embrace me. I must be addicted as I surround myself with color. Just let me get my hands on a paint brush and I go wild. When I first suggested painting my porch floors a deep blue my husband and kids thought I had gone around the bend. I could visualize what a perfect match it would add to our house with soft yellow and white trim. Years later my husband reluctantly admits that it’s not bad. It is the same way with food. Why settle for something plain when a nifty twist of color will jazz up your dish or dessert? Needless to say making a Fruit Pizza satisfies something creative inside. My sister, Lois, who is a talented artist made the first Fruit Pizza I had ever seen. I was instantly hooked. The original recipe has become spotted and marked on throughout the years.

I was intrigued to find out that cream of tartar is obtained from the sediment that crystallizes during fermentation in the process of making wine. In fact a history journal reported that traces of cream of tartar were found in a wine pottery jar from the ruins of a village in northern Iran dating more than 7,000 years ago. Cream of tartar is the common name for potassium hydrogen tartrate, an acid salt that has a number of uses in cooking such as: stabilizing and giving more volume to beaten egg whites, produces a creamier texture in candy and frostings, used commercially in some soft drinks, reduces discoloration in boiled vegetables, is a powerful cleaning agent for pots, pans, and stove tops, cleans coins, and even is a folk remedy used mixed with orange juice for stopping smoking. You can substitute white vinegar for cream of tartar when beating egg whites, but is isn’t a good idea to use a substitution of white vinegar when baking as it has been found that cakes end up with a coarser grain and are more prone to shrinking than those made with cream of tartar. When used in baking, cream of tartar produces softer cookies.

My Fruit Pizza is a filling colorful dessert that epitomizes tropical and summer days yet can be made year round. The tangy blend of different fruits on a cream cheese filling rounded out with a sugar cookie crust is truly a culinary delight. You can mix and match different fruits to your hearts delight. Another idea is using the same recipe with a topping of berries: strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries for a nifty berry topping. Either way this Fruit Pizza recipe serves around sixteen and takes approximately thirty minutes to prepare.

Fruit Pizza

Crust:
½ c margarine or butter
½ c shortening
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 c self-rising flour
½ tsp cream of tartar
Combine ingredients and roll out on a large greased pizza pan. Bake at 350º for ten minutes and cool.

Cream filling:
1 pkg cream cheese
½ c powdered sugar
1 (8 oz) container of cool whip
Beat until smooth and spread over cooled sugar cookie crust.

Decorate with:
pineapple rings (save juice)
sections of mandarin oranges
sliced kiwi
strawberries
blueberries

Glaze:
1 c pineapple juice
1 c orange juice
4 tb cornstarch
Mix together in small saucepan and bring to a boil until thickened. Spread over top of layered fruit completely covering. If the glaze is too thick you can thin with orange juice. Chill and serve!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a freelance writer, author, columnist, and photographer from Jamestown, TN. If you have any cooking tips or favorite recipes you are welcome to contact me by mail at: Dorcas Walker, 929 Wildwood Lane, Jamestown, TN 38556 or email me at: dorcaswalker@yahoo.com. For more information about the Walker family and Dorcas’ books check out her website at: www.dorcasannettewalker.com or htpp://dorcasannettewalker.blogspot.com for other Creative Mountain Cookin recipes.