Friday is Pie day!

Hello friends! During one of my recent trips to New York last month, my sister Maddy and I watched the movie Julie/Julia. Amy Adams and Meryl Streep were wonderful and the story was very cute. It inspired me to do my own little weekly cooking post. So from here on in, Fridays will be known as Pieday! I am going to try and bake a different pie every week and post all the how-to's with photos. Why pie you ask...because I love pie and because it's my blog...you can saute liver on your own blog.  Some pies will be perfect for dessert and a few will be just the thing for an easy dinner. I encourage all of you to try as many of the recipes as you can and share your critiques or variations.
I decided that to ease you all in slowly, I would start with the beloved  Apple Pie. However this one has a little twist...this is a Sour Cream Apple Pie with a crunchy crumb topping. The recipe is one of the first pies I baked as a new bride and was developed by a lady named Bernie Fitchett. Bernie's family owned the dairy near my childhood home and she was quite the matriarch and cook. So here we go...get your aprons on...what, you don't have an apron!!!!!! Go to my Etsy shop and buy one...we'll wait for you ;-) ok...are you ready now?

We'll start with about 6 cups sliced tart & sweet apples. I used Granny Smith and Jonagold. Peel, core and slice up. Be sure to save the peelings for your compost pile.

                    
                    

Mix together and then add to the apple slices..1 1/2 cups sour cream, 3 TBL flour, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 large egg slightly beaten.

 

For the crumb topping combine 1 cup light brown sugar, 2/3 cup flour and 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter slightly softened ....no margarine!!! This is dessert..not health food.

                       

You should see chunks of butter..don't overmix & no hands as your body heat will melt the butter. This is not a good time to be a hot babe.

Helpful hint: freezer paper is a staple in my kitchen. Tape a large piece to you countertop, shiny side up and you have a clean and nonstick area to work on. Clean up is a snap..just roll up the paper to recycle and your done! I normally use my KitchenAid mixer, but not everyone has that luxury, so I will be using my hand pastry blender which works beautifully.  Let's make pie crust...mix together 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup Butter Crisco (or your preferred shortening) and approx 5-8 Tbl Ice water..the Ice part is very important. Warmth is your enemy when making pie crust. Again..cold women make good pie crust ;-)

Hint: I like a sweeter crust so I add about 1 Tbl of granulated sugar to my flour (can sub splenda).

Cut in the shortening and flour  until you get pea sized chunks then slowly add the ice water until your dough holds together as in my photo..you do not want it too crumbly or sticky. If that happens..add a 

touch more ice water or flour..which ever is needed.

With a little flour on your roller, roll out your dough until it is larger than the size of your pie pan. I am using an 11 inch pie pan, so I rolled mine to about 15 inches round. Roll up onto rolling pin to transfer to pan.

Roll dough off pin onto pie pan and trim edges. Tuck edges under and flute with your fingers...not rocket science ..any nice crimping will do.

I like to brush the crust with beaten egg white and sprinkle a little sugar for sweetness and sparkle. OMG...I sound like Martha Stewart!  Fill your pie shell with your apple mixture.

              

Carefully place the topping on your apples, making sure you completely cover your pie. I have to admit, I always double the topping recipe because I love it. I use 3/4 for my pie and freeze the rest. The extra is handy to top muffins or a quick apple crisp. In a pre-heated 375 degree oven, bake your pie for about 1 hour or until bubbly. Lightly cover crust and topping with a piece of foil if you think it is browning too quickly. I almost always do this as I prefer a lighter crust.  After all your hard work you will have this to present to your admiring family.............................

                

I wish you could have smelled the aromas wafting through my kitchen while my pie was baking..divine!

I am taking donations to cover the cost of having 2 lbs of flour and sticky apple juice cleaned out of digital camera.  So put the kettle on, get out the vanilla ice cream and pony up to the pie bar. 

I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial in pie baking and that you feel the urge to bake one of your own.

Until next time..be kind and stay creative. See you next Friday for Pieday!

*******Blog update............just served this pie after dinner and it was Fabulous! Flaky crust, creamy and not too sweet filling and a wonderful caramelized crunchy top...yum.

PS...I will be picking the winner of my Tote bag Giveaway at 9pm EST Friday, so you still have time to enter by following my blog and leaving a comment under the giveaway posting (Jan. 22)...Good Luck!