How brisket came to be associated with Jewish holidays is somewhat unclear, though much is made of the utilitarian cut of meat that brisket is – economical in feeding a number of people. Jewish families were larger at the turn of the century when many immigrated to the U.S., and chicken parts, and cheaper beef cuts, meant to stretch cooks’ budgets, were bought by frugal homemakers and then cooked in ways to tenderize and make them palatable. Thus, roasting and boiling chickens and braising beef became the norm. Knowing the right cuts to use is important when you’re working with inexpensive meats.

Start with the right cut

Art Ginsberg, known nationally as “Mr. Food,” is an long-time friend and fellow South Floridian. He runs his business of cookbooks, TV shows and more out of his complex in Fort Lauderdale. Before he became Mr. Food, however, he was a butcher and caterer. I turn to him with meat questions and as a cook, he can answer with the consumer and shopper in mind.

So today, I asked him the difference in brisket cuts – top or bottom – which to buy?

He replied: “The first cut, the bottom, is leaner and, therefore, more expensive. The top has more fat and is, therefore, more flavorful. What is sold in most of the wholesale clubs (and many supermarkets) is the whole brisket (also known as the first and second cut, or top and bottom).”

If you do wind up with a whole brisket, after cooking it, remove the top (slicing it off horizontally), and then slice both top and bottom pieces separately against their grain. This is because the grain runs differently on the top and bottom pieces, making it difficult to cut properly when they’re together. Also, always let meats rest before slicing. In case of the brisket, you can reheat slices neatly in the sauce, either stovetop on low heat, or in the oven in a pan at 300 degrees, making this a dish to prepare a day ahead with no fear of drying out or becoming tough. (A tip: Puree the cooked prunes in the sauce; no one will guess where the rich flavor comes from.)

Here’s the recipe from Mr. Food. For other recipes good for the Jewish holidays, visit his website and click on recipes.

This fork-tender recipe for flavorful brisket of beef is a perfect make-ahead. Not only do we get the bonus of extra time, but the leftovers make for sensational sandwiches.

Brisket with Onion (and prunes and carrots)

Cooking Time: 2 hr 55 mins.

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1  3-pound boneless beef brisket, well trimmed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 can (14-ounces) ready-to-use beef broth
• 1 pound carrots
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 ounces (1-1/4 cups) pitted dried prunes

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the brisket and brown on both sides. Add the onion around the brisket; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the onion is tender.

Add the beef broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for 2 hours.

Add the carrots, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, and pepper; cover and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the brisket is fork-tender.

Uncover, add the prunes, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the prunes are tender.

Slice the brisket across the grain and serve topped with the carrots, prunes, and sauce.

(Recipe courtesy MrFood.com.)

Related posts:

1. Rosh Hashana – New Year’s Dinners at Pavilion Grille and Le Bistro; Order in from Ocean Avenue Greenmarket Cafe
2. Brooks Restaurant Brisket Recipe Perfect for Passover
3. Peach Bread Recipe a Winner from “Food Afar”

She asked us to lunch and we debated on either barbecue, or New Southern cooking. I wasn’t up for barbecue, so we ended up at 18 Seaboard, a red brick two-level restaurant set in a former train station.

The chef-owner is Jason Smith – an amiable man who has quite the experiences under his rather young belt: cooking for big name chefs in North Carolina and New York, running a kitchen to feed 1300 daily in Antarctica, and now, being a new father with two restaurants. (He also owns Cantina 18 in Raleigh.)

18 Seaboard’s menu is modern Southern and American fare. Each dish that we ordered – we chose several  to get a great sampling – showed finesse and control. The plates were not only eye-pleasing, but every plate had a focused flavor.

Today’s feast

I’ll share an interview with the chef in an upcoming article here, but for now, I’ll share our menu and his simple, delicious recipe for corn soup.

• Corn Soup (made from corn delivered from the farmer that day)
• Snead’s Ferry She-Crab Soup with a sherry reduction
• Iceberg wedge with big bacon crunch
• Blackeyed pea cakes with zucchini, squash, and summer vegetable vinaigrette
• Crispy Pamlico shrimp salad with Asiago dressing and focaccia croutons

We had no room for dessert!

18 Seaboard’s Corn Soup recipe

• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 2 tablespoons diced onion
• 3 ears fresh silver queen corn, shucked, kernels removed
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Heat large saute pan over medium heat; add butter when pan is hot. Swirl butter to melt; do not allow to brown. Add onion and saute 1 minute; add corn and cook 3 minutes more, stirring. Set aside. Combine cream, stock and thyme in small saucepan; cook for three minutes over medium heat with thyme. Remove thyme. Combine corn and stock mixture in blender; puree until smooth. Add salt and white pepper to taste.

Serve hot or chilled.

Makes 4 appetizer servings.

Related posts:

1. Recipe of the Day: Chilled Corn Soup
2. Curry Corn Soup and Barbecue Shrimp Plus Lobster Potato Salad Recipes: Cadillacs of Dishes from Dean Max and Johnny V
3. Cold-Weather Recipe: Slow-Cooker Potato Soup

My Fresh Chef's Fuzzy Melon in the making

Watermelons are still all over, and the weather is still sweltering. Here’s a recipe for a watermelon cooler from creative chef Jeremy Hanlon of West Palm Beach (My Fresh Chef – he caters and does private cheffing and is working on a TV show). I love his use of fresh fruits and vegetables in every dish he makes. Bold flavors in unusual combinations from fresh foods – that’s Hanlon.

You can go to Hanlon’s blog to read his story about the drink and vacation – but here’s the recipe for Fuzzy Melon (that’s my name for it that won his Facebook contest). A non-alcoholic version follows.

Fuzzy Melon

• 3 cups ripe seedless watermelon – coarsely chopped
• 1 lime – juice only
• 1 ½ cups Peach Vodka (quantity may vary according to mood)
• 8 ounces ginger ale
• 4 sprigs mint – ripped into small pieces
• 8 basil leaves – ripped into small pieces
• 1 ½ tablespoon confectioners sugar
• For garnish – mint leaves, lime slices
  

Place watermelon, lime, and vodka in blender.  Whip on high until watermelon is pureed.

Combine watermelon mixture, ginger ale, torn herbs and optional sugar in a large pitcher.  Stir to combine well and fill with crushed ice.

Serve in tall cooler glasses, garnished with a lime slice and mint leaves.

Makes 6 to 8 drinks.

Non-alcoholic version: Substitute 12-ounce can peach nectar for the vodka; continue as above.

Related posts:

1. Mango (or Peach) Lassi Recipe – Another Way to Use the Summer Stone Fruit
2. Perfect Summer Cooler: Romaine Gazpacho Recipe from Victoria Amory
3. Smooooothies for Summer – for Kids and Adults

An Ocracoke native, she had one of the biggest, fullest fig trees I’d ever seen last time I was here. She put up and sold jars of fig preserves, the old-fashioned syrupy kind, out of a shed in her back yard.

Oddly, my good foodie/Southern friend Ben Starling and I were just discussing fig preserves just before I left on this trip. We were lamenting the fact that we can’t find the dark kind of fig preserves – the ones that are packed in heavy, thick syrup, ones like my mom and Aunt Eleanor put up every year. We agreed we don’t cotton to that thin kind you find commercially.

Figs for breakfast and supper

They resemble the ones in the photo I found from McDonald’s Farm. (McDonald’s is a fruit farm in Baskin, La. — apparently with no web site — where they know a thing about figs, too. Chef Paul Prudhomme’s sister makes a cake from the preserves; her recipe is one I have dogeared from use. It’s in one of his cookbooks.)

Mostly, though, I believe fig preserves are made for one thing and one thing only: hot buttermilk biscuits. Poking a hole in the crispy top of the biscuit and filling its tender inside with a fig and its syrup is a ritual I have repeated countless times as a girl.

Licking the syrup that leaks out the sides from my fingers, swabbing up the last of the syrup on the plate with the last bite of biscuit…then wistfully looking at the empty biscuit plate and wishing I hadn’t been so polite to take only one. This is a direct brain-to-mouth memory.

You can see why it’s a mission to find these once more. I’ve been in fig withdrawal for over a decade, when I finished the last of mom’s fig and pear preserves. I’ll let you know how I fare, so check back.

Meanwhile, here’s the Ocracoke Island Fig Cake recipe, from the Ocracoke Cookbook.

Ocracoke Island Fig Cake

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup fig preserves, chopped
• 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts)

Beat eggs; add sugar and oil. After sifting dry ingredients, add to egg mixture alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla and fold in figs and nuts.

Pour into greased 13-by-9-inch pan or bundt pan and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or in a well greased tube pan at 350 degrees just a little longer. If you use a cake tester, it may read sticky if you draw through a fig, so look instead for signs of wet batter.

*Chopped dates may be substituted for figs, but I wouldn’t.

Related posts:

1. Assignments: From the Road, Clark’s Inn, Santee, SC
2. Road Food: Donuts at Donut Land in Bonifay
3. Road Food: Orlando’s Vega’s Cafe a Longtime Winner

Other mango recipes from the Erickson Farm are here: www.ericksonfarm.com/recipes/

Mango Nut Bread

• 1 to 1¼ cups diced mango (about 1 medium mango)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• ½ cup margarine, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup powdered milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9-by-4-inch loaf pan and set aside. Dice the mango and add lime juice; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream margarine and sugar with electric mixer.  Add eggs, beat well.

Combine dry ingredients with a whisk in a small bowl. Add to egg mixture and stir with wooden spoon only until incorporated – do not beat. Add vanilla and stir well. Fold in mango with lime and nuts just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 45 minutes; test with knife inserted in center. When knife comes out clean, bread is done.

Makes 1 loaf.

This bread freezes very well.

Note: Feel free to substitute your favorite nut or leave out entirely.mango

Related posts:

1. Thanksgiving Recipes: Mild Bread Stuffing from Irene Goodman
2. Sunday at the Farm – Take a Family Day Tour for Mangoes and Tropical Fruits
3. Mango Weekend at Fairchild Gardens – Eat with Mango Gang Chefs and Madhur Jaffrey Friday; Brunch Sunday

Le Bistro's Gluten-free Coconut-Strawberry Torte

Le Bistro (Lighthouse Point) chef Andy Trousdale has entered his Gluten-Free Coconut-strawberry Torte in a contest sponsored by the Gluten-Free Registry and Bob’s Red Mill Flours. Trousdale’s wife Elin shared the recipe with me here, but more are on the web site.

Do your part for the home team and go to the site to vote (scroll down to see them all) for the torte – made with rice flour crepes and stuffed with a creamy coconut filling, berries and coconut milk.

Here’s their recipe.

Gluten-Free Coconut and Strawberry Torte

• For the cream filling:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup gluten-free rice flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
• 1 18-ounce can coconut juice
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup shredded coconut
  
• For the crepes:
• 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 2 cups (16 ounces) rice milk
  
• 4 eggs
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• For completing dish:
  
• 1 pound strawberries, hulled, washed, sliced thinly
  
• 6 whole strawberries, for garnish
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted, for garnish
  

Make cream filling: Melt butter in a heavy sauce pan over a medium heat. Add flour, stir constantly; add sugar, and cook for 10 minutes; remove from heat and set aside. Warm coconut milk, coconut juice, and coconut extract in a small sauce pan. Place flour mixture back on medium heat, and slowly add liquid a little at a time, whisking to make a smooth sauce. Add shredded coconut. Remove from heat and reserve.

Make crepes: Put flour into a large mixing bowl, and make a well in the center. Add eggs. Mix well, slowly adding milk while whisking to form a smooth batter. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Heat a non-stick sauté pan, brush lightly with softened butter. Quickly add a 2-ounce (1/4 cup) ladle full of batter. Tilt pan to coat pan well; cook only until mixture is set, then flip. The crepes should be a slightly brown; cook for 30 seconds, remove. Repeat until there is a stack of 10 to 12 crepes.

To plate: Place one crepe onto a large plate, smear a little of the cream filling to cover the crepe. Cover with sliced berries. Repeat layers, using all ingredients. Add the remaining whole strawberries on top. Sprinkle toasted coconut over all. Chill before serving. When ready to serve, slice as a pie, into wedges; serve each with a sprinkle of toasted coconut. Chill any leftovers.

Makes 6 servings.

Related posts:

1. Recipe Requests – Neiman Marcus’ White Chili, Repost of Strawberry Bread Recipe
2. Blast from the Past: Easter Bunny Cake – Baker’s Coconut Patterns
3. National Doughnut Day – Get a Free One at Dunkin’ Donuts or Make Your Own

Andros Flourless Chocolate Cake /photo by Michael Bennett, Sun Senetinel staff

Along with this deliciously decadent flourless chocolate cake recipe from Andros in Lake Worth, you’ll get a copycat of TooJay’s Tomato Dill Soup recipe and a blue cheese dip from Wings and Rings in Coconut Creek – all on the Sentinel’s Food page online.

Related posts:

1. Legal Sea Foods Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake from My Sentinel Column Today
2. Granger’s Crab Bisque Recipe in Today’s Sentinel
3. Recipe for Shellfish Panroast from Blue Moon Fish Co. in Today’s Sentinel

Strawberry smoothie /photo by Scrumdilly-do!

My little buddy Kody, 4-1/2, came to visit the other day and we made smoothies – his first experience with these – or so he says. He pronounces smoothie with a strong oo sound – so smuuuthie is what he calls these. Once I explained they were like a milkshake, only fruitier, he was anxious to try one.

Let the kids do it

He loved making them – he likes to cook with me because I let him do anything within reason. If you supervise kids carefully and anticipate their curiosity and quick actions around the stove and mixers, you’ll find they can do it all. Teaching them early what happens when you play with knives and fire in the wrong ways is a smart way to avoid accidents later.

Adults: Make sure kids remember the rules: Put the lid on the blender before turning it on; make sure the cord is well behind the blender so they can’t accidentally catch it and bring it all crashing down, and rinse out the container once you’ve finished up.

Chill out

Add ice unless you’re throwing in some sorbet or ice cream or using frozen fruits. (This time of year, freeze fresh fruits and use them this way or just eat them frozen. Grapes, blueberries, etc – just freeze them on cookie sheets till hard, then bag them up.)

Remember to add the ice through the hole in the lid after the motor is running, and use small cubes or cracked ice so you don’t burn up your blender.

I like to use the Greek style yogurts out there, but recently bought Nancy’s Non-fat Yogurt, made from Springfield Dairy in Eugene, Ore. It’s all natural and made with dairy products free of hormones and additives. It’s fully cultured, tangy, thick and good – and relatively cheap at Publix GreenWise stores.

Also, the reason I like Haagen-Dazs frozen yogurt, ice creams and sorbets is because they have a noteworthy program called helpthehoneybees.com – it’s a program they initiated to help the plight of the honeybee – it’s a great lesson-project for kids, too.

Smoothie recipes

Here are a bunch of easy recipes – for any age group. These are  “throw it in and see it if works,” so the measurements are just suggestions. So are the ingredients. Kody doesn’t like blueberries – so feel free to sub out any fruits and berries for others; use any nut butters you have on hand; use buttermilk, soy or goat milk, yogurt interchangably,…

For most of these, you’ll need a spoon, a spatula (for swiping down the sides of the blender), and a blender with a lid, preferably one with a removable cap in the lid. A tall glass and a straw are good for serving.

Adults only

To make these drinks for a pool party for adults, add a tablespoon or more of liqueur such as Frangelica, Framboise, Kahlua, Bailey’s Irish Cream, or a fruit schnapps.

Berry Smoothie

• 1/2 cup blueberries or strawberries
  
• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup Greek style plain yogurt (or lemon or any fruit)
  
• drizzle of honey, optional
• 1/2 cup ice
  

Put all ingredients in the blender except for ice, blend on high and add ice through the hole in the lid with motor running. (If you freeze the bananas or berries, you won’t have to use ice.)

Makes 1 smoothie.

Peachy raspberry smoothie

• 1/2 cup sliced peaches or mangoes
  
• 1/2 cup raspberries, or 1/2 cup Haagen-Dazs raspberry sorbet
  
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon honey, optional
  
• Squeeze of lemon
• 1/2 cup ice

Put all ingredients in the blender except for ice; blend on high and add ice through the hole in the lid.

Makes 1 large or 2 medium smoothies.

Pineapple-coconut smoothie

• 1/2 cup fresh pineapple chunks
• 1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt
• 1/2 cup Haagen-Dazs pineapple-coconut ice cream
• sprinkle of toasted coconut for top

Put all ingredients in the blender except for ice; blend on high and add ice through the hole in the lid.

Nut-butter espresso smoothie

• 2 tablespoons peanut or almond or cashew butter
• 1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
• 1 shot espresso or extra strong brewed coffee
  
• 1 teaspoon agave sugar or 1/2 teaspoon honey
  
• 1/2 cup ice
  

Put all ingredients in the blender except for ice; blend on high. With motor running, add ice through the hole in the lid.

Makes 1 smoothie.

Elvis Smoothie: Skip the espresso and add half a banana.

Melon-mint yogurt smoothie

• 1 cup honeydew or cantaloupe, cubed
• 1 cup Greek-style yogurt
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 cup ice

Blend all ingredients except ice; with motor running, add ice through hole in top.

Makes 2 smoothies.

Note: Various nut butters, and agave sweeteners and other natural ingredients including fruits and all types of yogurts and milks can be found at Whole Foods Market and Publix GreenWise stores. Liqueur selections can be found at Crown Wine shops.

Related posts:

1. Mango (or Peach) Lassi Recipe – Another Way to Use the Summer Stone Fruit
2. It’s Still Summer – Drink This! Fuzzy Melon Recipe from Jeremy Hanlon
3. Perfect Summer Cooler: Romaine Gazpacho Recipe from Victoria Amory

Romaine gazpacho /photo by Victoria Amory

A delightful food blogger (and cookbook author) from Palm Beach, Victoria Amory, has created this surprisingly yummy romaine gazpacho. It’s great chilled, with more flavor than you might imagine, and low-cal, too – made with yogurt instead of heavy cream.

She’s generously allowed me to post the recipe on my site, but I do urge you to visit her very pretty blog to pick up others you might enjoy as well.

Romaine is from her garden

She’s a gardener, and the lettuces and herbs she picks daily from her own beds. Victoria writes: “I use low-fat, plain yogurt as it yields a finer and thinner consistency and it fits with my ’skinny delicious’ plan.

“This bright green soup is so delicious it seems impossible it could be good for you, too. The flavor of crisp romaine lettuce is freshness itself and the creamy consistency of yogurt is the perfect base.

“I also make this soup using other greens like baby spinach, watercress or arugula. Strain it through a medium sieve to make as smooth as velvet. A sprinkling of fresh herbs as garnish enhances the green palette.”

Victoria Amory’s Green Gazpacho

• 2 heads romaine lettuce, well cleaned
• 2 cups plain yogurt (use low or non-fat)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup fresh mixed herbs, such as parsley, mint and basil
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a blender and working in batches, purée the lettuce, yogurt, garlic, herbs, olive oil, and lemon juice until smooth. Add a little water, if necessary, to achieve the consistency of vichyssoise.

 Strain the soup through a medium sieve into a bowl and chill until ready to serve. Ladle into shallow rimmed soup bowls and garnish with fresh chopped soft herbs.

Makes 4 servings.

Jan’s note: I like a blend of romaine and arugula – the arugula has a bite and more flavor than romaine, but alone, it’s too bitter for some. Add 1 chopped shallot and a dash of cayenne to give it more zing if going with the romaine alone.

Serve some cheese crostini with it, along with a glass of chilled sauterne, and it’s a lovely twilight meal for the patio.

Related posts:

1. John G’s Gazpacho Recipe from Today’s Sun Sentinel Column – So Good!
2. Cool Salads from Chefs Perfect for Summer Dinners
3. It’s Still Summer – Drink This! Fuzzy Melon Recipe from Jeremy Hanlon

Jan's Apple Pie - recipe and photo by Jan Norris

Some cooks I know are great, improvisational cooks when it comes to savory foods. They can whip up an entree without thinking, throw together a casserole, a soup, an unctuous sauce in a heartbeat. But ask them to do that in a dessert – especially a baked product – and they’re lost without a precise recipe.

Most are so frightened of baking  — they call it a science  (and cooking’s not??) they won’t even substitute or add ingredients for fear of failure.

I wanna hold your hand!

Ok, if this is your story, let me inspire you to leap into baking with abandon. Find a few basic recipes you like, and then mess with them.

Once you have the basic recipe and understand what’s going on in the mixing bowl and your oven, you, too, can improvise and not be afraid to fail.

Easy as pie – apple pie is the base

 The “recipe” for my pie is below. But let’s deconstruct it.

It’s a 2-crust pie. One on the top, and one on the bottom. One crust pies are just as good – I could have made this without a top crust – and added a crumb topping, or dolloped it with biscuits and turned it into a cobbler…the filling would have remained the same for either. The crust would be the only variance.

Basic pie crust

But let’s start with the crusts – they’re a pastry crust.

The recipe is simple – 2 cups all-purpose flour, to 2/3 cup fat of some kind (salted butter, shortening, lard, or a combination of the above – do not use ”tub” butter or margarine, or oil), and approximately 6 tablespoons of ice water. That “approximate” part has you worried already – but don’t be.

Use a tool, not  your warm hands, to blend the fat into the flour. That could be a pastry blender - many pros use these and so did your granny, maybe –  or a food processor or two forks. Why? The heat from your hands makes the mix too warm, and it will absorb too much flour, and as a result, become tough.

Sprinkle it with 4 tablespoons of ice water and stir with a fork. It should come together, but never be wet. Add more water, a few drips at a time till this happens. Once it’s together enough to form into a ball (which will be crumbly, still), stop adding water. Now, dust your hands with flour and gather the dough into two balls. Don’t knead this dough – it’s not bread. Press the balls into flat discs; wrap in plastic and let it relax 10 minutes. Then, refrigerate. Now, make the filling.

Firm Fruit Fillings

I whip out apple pies more often than not, because I can’t always get nor do I trust berries from the store. Apples are there practically year round; cherries are in now and I’ll go for them. More on cherries in a minute.

For an apple pie, you’ll need about 8 Granny Smith apples. They’re the most reliable for a pie – firm, and tart. Don’t buy Braeburns or MacIntoshs or Red Delicious for pies – they’re eating apples and don’t hold up to baking. You can use Golden Delicious; they’re sweet, though, so take that into account when you’re adding sugar.

You’ll need about 6 cups of sliced fruit – we’ll talk apples. Now here’s where I veer off the page. I have never really measured the apples, so am not sure – I just cut up apples until they stack three-times the top of my 10-inch, deep-dish pie plate. They will cook down, I promise. You can’t have “too many” apples, because they won’t fit in your pie plate. When you can’t mound any more, you’re done. It’s somewhere between 6and 8 cups or so if you measure them, but it’s tough because they’re sliced.

Pro cooks weigh ingredients

If I were a pro, and wanted the exact same results every single time, I’d weigh the apples (and the flour for the pie crust, and so on…). I have a food scale. Weights give you a more clear picture, but even these can vary widely. A magazine writer did a story once, asking five pro bakers to make an angel food cake with the exact same recipe – and it came out five very different ways. Proving my point: There are too many variables – ingredients, oven heat, even timers – for this to be an exact science.

Lemon juice serves two purposes

You’ll need a half lemon, about 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (more veering and more on that in a sec), 1/3 cup or so of flour, and some spices.

Peel and core the apples. (That’s where I love my Zyliss peeler – I wrote about it.) Slice them into thickish wedges – or, big chunks if you prefer. No law says they have to be sliced, nor do they have to be the same size. If you like chunky bite to the pie, leave some a lot bigger than others; if you like a smooth filling, each slice should be the same width. 

Put them in a bowl and squeeze a tablespoon or so of lemon juice over them. This keeps the apples white, and lends a nice tartness to the pie. I used too much in a recent pie – but it turned out well, all the same.

Seasoning the pie

I make my apple pie filling right in the crust, putting in the apples first, then sugar, spices and butter on top, but you can toss all the ingredients in a bowl if you prefer, and pour them into the pie shell.

We don’t think much measuring salt and pepper added to a savory dish, and that’s how I approach spices and sugar. I sprinkle what I think is “about right” and go from there. I use both light brown and white sugars – I like the combination. It’s a scant 1/2 cup when all is said and done. I don’t like a syrupy sweet pie – I prefer it on the tart side. So go more in the direction you like yours. Remember that the types of apples you used, however, will affect the sweetness of the pie.

Spices are next: I like cinnamon, but also allspice, and a pinch of cloves in my apple pie. So I add about 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, and 1/8 teaspoon cloves – cloves are the strongest spice on the shelf. I also like ginger, but most people don’t, so I go easy on it – 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon is about right. You need a pinch of salt – but not much. I sprinkle these things over the sugar. Now if I’m doing it this way in the bowl, I toss it all together with the apples, and get back to the crust.

Back to the pie dough

Take the pie crusts from the fridge; let stand for 10 minutes to relax. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface where you can comfortably roll out dough. You can use a pastry cloth, or a mat, or just the clean counter as I do. (Make sure the surface isn’t hot or near heat – cold is your friend when making pie crusts.) Wipe your rolling pin with flour, too. Have extra flour in a bowl to sprinkle more.

Put a dough disk in the center of the surface and sprinkle lightly with flour. Working from the center of the dough, roll the dough, pressing lightly on the pin, away from you. Then pull the pin toward you from the center. Press evenly as possible. Turn the dough 1/4 turn to the left, and repeat these two rolls – away from you, and toward you. Now keep doing this till the dough is a circle about 13 inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch thickness. A goal isn’t as thin as possible; you have to have some structure to lift the crust and support the apples, too. Sprinkle flour on it as you need to – but not too much, and don’t worry if the outer edges aren’t perfectly round.

Lifting the pie crust into the plate

First, sprinkle a teaspoon or so of flour into the pie plate.

Moving the pie crust off the counter and into the plate is a tricky part, because you don’t want to tear it. You can do it two ways: Wrap it carefully around your rolling pin (tricky, since most pins are shorter than the width of the crust), and unrolling it over the plate, or folding it and placing in the crust, then unfolding.

To roll it up, put the pin on one edge of the crust, and roll the crust onto itself. Put the pin on one edge of the pie plate and unroll it, letting it fall gently into the plate. Now press it into place.

To fold it, fold it into thirds – bring the far edge over close to the edge nearest you. Lift the edge nearest you to fold over to the opposite side. Now lift the whole crust over the pie plate and set inside; unfold.

If  any cracks appear, no worries. It’s easily repaired. Simply dip your fingers into a little water and smooth the crack. Trust me that no one will see it. Don’t worry about jagged edges. Smooth the crust into the pie plate so it’s fairly evenly distributed in the plate.

Fill the pie and top it

Pour the apples into the pie. Add the spices and sugar if you haven’t already. Sprinkle it with 1/3 (about) cup of flour. Now add some pats of butter all around – sides and on top of apples. Don’t obsess about making them even. Use about 1/2 a stick of butter – 1/4 cup or so. 

Roll out the top crust as you did for the bottom and cover the apples and edges of the pan. Use a sharp knife to trim the crusts 1/2 inch below the edge of the plate overhang. Now, crimp the edges so the pie crusts are sealed together. Use your finger to do make a pretty pattern (look up the phrase “crimp pie crust edge” to see how it’s done if you need help.

Now, cut vents into the crust to let the steam escape. Use a sharp knive to make slits, or decorative shapes in the top crust near the edges and at the crown of the pie. I cut Xs into the crust when I’m in a hurry, or use a tiny heart cookie cutter to make it fancier. Note, however, the crust will “wrinkle” as it settles, and your cut-out shapes won’t hold up all that well.

Options: For a pretty, shiny pie crust, brush the top of the crust with milk or an egg yolk mixed with water, and/or sprinkle some coarse sugar on top.

Finishing and baking

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set the pie plate on a thin cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment, or alternately, place a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom rack under the pie (NOT on the oven floor) to catch any drips from the pie. The drips will be sugary and create a carbon, smoky mess in the oven.

Bake the pie on a center rack at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Without removing the pie from the oven, turn the oven down to 350 and continue to bake for another 25 minutes. Test the pie by sliding a knife into one of the vents, if you like, to determine whether the apples are soft.

The crust should be beautifully browned; not burned. If your oven is too hot, and the crust’s edges are browning too quickly, use aluminum foil strips to crimp around the edges of the pie. If the whole pie is getting too brown too quickly, tent the pie totally with heavy foil, but do not seal it tightly around edges.

Resist that urge to dig in

Hot pie is wonderful, but if you want hot pie, go for a cobbler or apple Betty instead. A pie has to cool properly to cut properly. It’s a major mess when it’s hot.

Set the pie on a cooling rack so the bottom of the pie cools evenly. If you’re taking the pie elsewhere, don’t put it in a basket and cover it; the steam will soften the crust.  Lightly tent the pie with foil to cover it.

Allow to cool at least 20 minutes, then chill completely if desired, or serve slightly warm, with ice cream or whipped cream (add a sprinkle of cinnamon to it) or on a puddle of rich cream right out of the pitcher. Some friends like a wedge of cheddar cheese with theirs – this is pretty good, too.

So there you have it. Easy and once you have the knack for it, just do it – don’t worry so much about the science. Make a peach pie, or a pear pie or a quince pie the same way.

Cherries and berries

Once you have these basics, you can make a berry or cherry – or combo – pie with just a few variations. 

Pit the cherries, or clean and slice berries, and throw them in a bowl. You’ll only need 4 to 5 cups of berries or cherries – they will make a mess if you overload these crusts unlike the other fruits.

Add sugar, seasonings (with cherries, add a dash of almond extract or cherry liqueur; with blackberries, use blackberry liqueur or cassis) and in the case of these fruits, for thickening, use cornstarch or tapioca - not flour. (About 1/4 cup to 4 cups of fruit).

If the berries are tart (tart cherries, or blueberries), use a bit more sugar than in the apple pie - maybe 3/4 cup. If sweet, keep it to 1/2 to 3/4 cup; stick with white sugar and no brown for berries.) Don’t forget the lemon juice and dash of salt. Dot the pie with butter as before.

Put it all in the pie crust as you did the apple. But now, this pie bakes entirely at 400 degrees.

Related posts:

1. Thanksgiving Recipe: Luscious Apple Rolls from Molly’s House Cookbook
2. Create a Stir! With Upside-Down Apple-Pecan Pie
3. Fall Perfection: Indiana Apple Cake