Wholesome Apple Pie

Simple, wholesome, apple pie a la mode.   The baked apples bring the rich sweet-tart flavor, the cinnamon enhances it, and the delicate, buttery, whole wheat crust wraps it all up into the perfect fruit-filled pastry.  Delicious!  We enjoyed it warm out of the oven with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.  

This apple pie is made up of only five ingredients; braeburn apples, cinnamon, freshly ground 100% whole wheat flour, butter, and salt.  No sugar or sweetener required!   Sound odd?  Not too odd.... the early English never added sugar to their apple pies.

Wholesome Apple Pie

Filling:
5-6 Braeburn apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick ( you can also try Golden Delicious, or Pink Lady)
2-3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix the above together in a bowl.

Pastry Crust:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
7/8 cups butter, cold and diced into small pieces
1 teaspoon salt
5/6 tablespoons ice water

Combine the whole wheat flour and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender. If butter does not cut in well with the pastry blender, use your clean hands to mix it in (I usually do this). Next, sprinkle 1 T of ice water on flour mixture, toss together with a fork for about 20 seconds.  Sprinkle on another tablespoon of water and toss again.  Continue until the dough can be gathered into a ball.  If you are used to making pastry dough with white flour and shortening, this will feel quite different.  You still don't want the dough to be too wet but it will feel more moist then a white flour dough.  When it can be gathered into a ball, divide it into 2 balls and roll out one of them into a pie shape.  Loosen the rolled dough from the surface with a flat spatula.  This dough is more fragile then white flour dough.  Do not try to fold it in half, instead, slide a thin cookie sheet or glass cutting board underneath it and then slip it off the cutting board on top of the pie pan.  Shape to the pie pan and trim the edges. 

Fill the pastry shell with the apple mixture.  

Roll out the top crust, then use the cutting board method to transfer it to the top of the pie.  Be sure to moisten the edges of the bottom crust first so that they adhere together well.  Crimp the sides together as desired.  Slice a few air vents on the top crust.

Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.

This pie is deliciously flavored as is, but if your sweet tooth calls for it, you can add a little sugar to the apples, and also sprinkle some cinnamon-sugar on top of the pie before baking.

“Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness.”
Jane Austen

"Thy breath is like the steame of apple-pyes." 
Robert Greene (1590) 'Arcadia'

Mini Caramel Apples

I brought these Mini-Caramel Apples to Aubree's Fall Class Party today. She requested caramel apples but I thought it would be too much for the kids to each have a whole apple. I came across a similar idea to this one, online, and decided that they would be perfect. Now I am not usually the type to make "cute" food (and these had that cute appeal), but I love caramel apples and couldn't pass this up.



1 bag caramel squares
1 Tbs water
apples
succor sticks
melon baller

To make the small apples, use a melon baller. Make sure that each "mini apple" has skin on one side, this is the side with which you will insert the succor stick. Dip the mini apples in melted caramel, and place them on a sprinkle or sugar covered plate (so that they don't stick). Immidiately place them in the refridgerator until set.

Note: These do not hold well. It is best to make them shortly before eating them. The juices from the skinless part of the apple will begin to seep out and make an apple-caramel syrup. It is actually kind of yummy if you get a chance to taste it, but it's not very pretty. Choose an apple variety that is not very juicy, and pat the apple pieces dry before covering with caramel.

If you have a fruit juicer, process the left-over apple scraps through the juicer and enjoy some fresh apple juice!