O.B.’s apple hand pies
Pie crust:
2 1/2 cups flour, unsifted
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1/3 cup water
Whisk together flour and salt. Cut in 1 stick of cold butter until the chunks are about the size of a pea. Then add the other stick of butter and continue cutting in until that stick is reduced to pea sized chunks and the rest is mostly the texture of cornmeal. Add in the water and mix until all the flour is incorporated into one big ball. You might not need all the water, or you might need more depending on the humidity where you live. Divide the dough into two pieces. You can chill it if you think you need to, or just skip that step and roll it out into two large rectangles.
Filling:
5-8 Apples – just use what you have
some type of sweetener – use whatever you have. I prefer maple syrup or brown sugar. Some apples need more sugar and some hardly need any at all. It’s all a matter of taste.
Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves, or whatever apple pie spices you have on hand
Flour or Tapioca
Peel, core and chop the apples fine. Place in a pot with the sugar and spices and simmer over a medium heat. You want to cook the apples enough that they soften to a nice texture and melt together with the sugar. You don’t want to make applesauce. Add in a spoonful of flour or tapioca if it is too runny. When it cools you want a thick apple butter like texture, but a little toothy – not a puree. Make sure it’s cool before you assemble your pies.
Assembly:
Roll out the two pie crusts into large rectangles. Use a brush with some half and half or water or egg wash to draw out 8 squares on the dough. Then spoon the filling into the 8 spaces. Lay the other piece of dough on top and press together between each mound of filling. A chopstick works well for this, or fingers or the back of a knife. Cut the individual pies out and place on a baking sheet. Brush with your choice of wash. Eggwash produces a nice glaze, but I generally just use half and half because that’s always around. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 on the bottom rack for 10 minutes and then on one of the upper racks untill they are done. You’ll know it’s done when you press on the center of the middle- most pie with the side of a table knife and it gives way and is flakey. If they’re not nice and golden brown then use the broiler control on your oven for a minute but watch them closely so they don’t burn.
Maple Icing:
1 cup maple syrup
2 egg whites
Boil maple syrup without stirring until it spins a fine thread. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Pour gradually over the stiffly beaten egg whites and whip with a wire whisk until smooth.
Category: Food and Recipes
Tags: Schooner Lewis R. French
