Apple of My Eye

Top of the morning to ya! 

     We have had the opportunity to meet a lovely family in our neighborhood. The ladies of the house have been very intentional about extending hospitality for afternoon tea and, boy, did they go all the way! We were showered with luxurious pastries and samoosas that were all home made. Our family has been blessed by their generosity.

      I decided to show our gratitude by making my all-American absolute favourite dessert: Apple Pie. 

     I grew up on my grandfather and mother's apple pies. Theirs are so good that I have to dare myself to try any other. None can match theirs. I have also had the privilege to observe how they make theirs and take some tips. No two chefs cook or bake the same way and a true one always incorporates a secret ingredient and a unique trait that makes theirs forever different from ANYone else's. :-) 

     I'll be honest and say I like mine too. But I have to give credit where credit is due and I like it because of the great examples I've had in the two relatives aforementioned. (I just wanted to use that word.) 

   I'd have to seriously practice to match theirs in a competition. However, in a pinch, it'll do. Besides, who else will be willing to feed my insatiable appetite for this stupendous dessert?? I am not a chocolate fan like my mother. I LOVE anything with fruit and could eat it all day everyday for the rest of my life! 

   Ladies and gentelmen... Behold: 

Due to my compassion for the masses, I'll share one tip that my mother taught me. If you want a good apple pie DO NOT use Granny Smith apples!!! ... We love the mild sweetness of the Golden Delicious  I will never deviate unless it is that rare occasion when I feel adventurous enough to mix in either a few Fuji or Pink Lady apples. (Blurry photo courtesy of Caelyn's iPhone.)

I only got one uninteresting blurry photo of Morgan's pie crust process. She is the QUEEN of pie crust. I'm so thankful to her for making them every time I go into this project.

All the goodies being mixed in: white sugar, brown sugar, secret ingredient, secret ingredient, water, salt, butter, flour, etc.

Morgan does not understand this about me... but I can't resist pie crust dough and I get beyond tickled when there's some left over. I can't believe I am admitting this but I must.... *heavy sigh*... I roll my ball of dough in sugar and eat it. Yup! It's out. That's what I do! I am guilty. It was me.

  This time, there was a considerable amount of dough left. So after Gabbi and I ate some delectable sugar-rolled dough balls, Gab came up with the superb idea of sauteeing it in coconut oil with sugar and cinnamon. Then I decided to put the leftover apple filling in my portion of dough, seal it like a dumpling, and sauté THAT in coconut oil, sugar, and cinnamon. Since it had coconut oil it was good for us, right?!? - Mom and Dad loved it. Even my disciplined sister, Morgan, couldn't resist trying it! Score.

My pies never look identical so I marked the pretty one for our friends. I really hope they enjoy it as much as I do. The pastry chef daughter has NEVER had one... I can't let her see another day without sharing in my favourite dessert. 

"Well... That's all I have to say about that."