Internets, Easy As Pie... Er, Cake...

Well, late night finds me again needing to rest over trying to post... but thanks to everyone for their feedback, and I will try to be more diligent, if only for you all.  I owe you that much (and, really much more).

So, I mentioned back around Thanksgiving that I was having trouble laying my hands on my old pie recipe, a much-loved (well, by me, anyway... but Mom always says she likes it too) recipe called Devonshire Apple Pie that festured sour cream in the sauce and a great crumb crust.

Well, imagine my surprise when my "Stats and Referrers" page linked me to a search for just such "Devonshire Apple Pie"... and that, when I clicked back to the search page, I found my recipe.

Seems I'd forgotten - as had Jennifer, who helped organize it - that I had, in fact contributed the recipe to the Digitas Food Fest in 2003.  And now, here was a woman who'd also worked (briefly) at Digitas, who was recommending the recipe - as I'd written it - to others!

Talk about a small world.  And talk about being humbly reminded of the power of the internet.  Because I love her post... and, well, it's my recipe and I need a record of it... I am reprinting her post, with additional thoughts.  Please visit her site.  She's a great writer too (and we agree on Aruba, as well).  And now, without further ado, my favorite pie:

Devonshire Apple Pie by NYC WeBoy (and ANP) (Please note that all text in the blockquote is written by the recipe author.  My comments are italicized.)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 Pie crust (I use Keebler shortbread crusts, but graham cracker works too, or a regular crust would too, I guess… but the shortbread adds a nice flavor)

I used regular; have never seen shortbread crusts but I’mma keep my eyes peeled

Filling

• 4 Apples (Fuji, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, or a combination of all four) peeled and sliced. (I have subsequently used Galas as well - look for dry apples recommended for pie baking, and I especially recommend the apple farmers who show their wares at the Union Square Farmer's Market.)
  

  I used a variety of apples from my trip up to Greig Farm in Red Hook, New York because I wanted to burn through apples for fear they would rot. I may have used six. 

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 6 tbl all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Topping

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 tbl butter, softened

Directions

Pie/filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Peel core and slice apples to your preferred thickness; I slice paper thin, ’cause that’s what I learned at home, and I think it makes for crisper apples. Some people like thick. I can respect that.

   Since my Wusthof was brand new when I tried this recipe, I tried thin and must say I loved it. If you’ve always had your apples thick, try thin and see how you like ‘em.

3. Put sliced apples in large bowl.
4. Add dry ingredients to bowl. Now, a word here about the flour. The original recipe called for 1 tbl of flour, but that has caused something akin to apple soup and a burnt oven. The flour is meant to cause the cream sauce to thicken, but it may take a little trial and error to allow for the liquid produced by the apples, the sour cream and the butter. Using fairly dry apples, I find about 6 tbls works best. To be fair, I’ve never made the pie too dry adding extra flour.

   Seconded.  And if I had, isn’t that what milk is for?  (Cue the gagging of my little sister.)
   

5. Add the lemon juice, sour cream, and gently stir the mixture so as to coat the apples. If you stir too roughly you’ll break the slices. Be especially sure to break up the brown sugar, or you’ll get these really sweet brown lumps in your pie.
6. Pour the apple mixture into the pie crust and spread evenly. (Pic 1; Pic 2)

Topping:

• To make the streusel topping, place the flour and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the 1/2 stick butter, and using a pastry cutter (or two knives, but it’s laborious), combine the butter, flour, and sugar into a granular topping. The better you do this, the less liquid-y the pie. Sprinkle topping on top of apples. (Pic 3)
• Cook for 40 minutes. Remove and place on a rack to cool. Let it cool, this will set the liquid in the filling. On Thanksgiving, we accomplish this by doing the pies first and letting them cool all day. (Pic 4)

Share and Enjoy :)

Comments

[Jennifer]

Congratulations! I know much you loved that recipe.

[ANP]

I love the internets and am so glad my dorky habit of typing up each recipe has helped its rightful owner reunite :) :)

Long live Devonshire apple pie! And Aruba!

xoxo