Apple pie

Apple pie is probably one of the oldest pastries. The English and Dutch Apple pie are said to date back centuries.  The first printed copy of the English apple pie recipe was by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1381. The ingredients for the pie were good apples, good spices, figs, raisins and pears. He also mentioned a cofyn, which is simply a casing of pastry. The last ingredient, saffron, is used to color the pie filling. Most the above mentioned ingredients aren't used in my pie, but then, I’m not English. I adapt to food from all over the world and learn to cook it and eat it in my own way, here’s a tried and tested apple pie adapted from my mom’s cookbook.

Crust and cover:

Maida  1½ cup

Baking powder ¼ tsp

Salt  ¼ tsp

Sugar  1 tbsp

Butter  3 tbsp

Iced water, about 4-5 tbsp

Filling:

Apple 2, peeled, cored and chopped to tiny pieces or sliced thinly, as you like it

Lime juice 3-4 drops (so that the apple does not change color)

Maida 2 tbsp

Salt 1 pinch

Sugar 2 tbsp

Cinnamon powder ¼ tsp

Butter ½ tsp

· Mix lime juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon powder and salt in bowl. Stir in the apple pieces. Set aside.

Method:

·    Pre-heat oven to 400° F.

·    Mix baking powder, salt, sugar and maida together. Add butter and mix it in roughly, till it starts to look like bread crumbs. Add the water now, slowly, little at a time. Mix until the dough holds together, add a bit more water, if necessary.

·    Shift the dough to a lightly floured surface, knead again, and then divide it into 2 equal portions.

·    Flatten one portion into a disk (for the crust). Keep aside for 20-30 minutes.

·    Roll out the other portion on a lightly floured surface into a thin circle (for the cover).

·    Stick the first portion which was kept aside for the crust onto a pie dish, trimming any extra dough from the edges with a sharp knife. Poke all over it with a fork.

·    Add the apple filling onto the base. Drop a few specks of butter in 3 or 4 places.

·    Add covering as you like it. Either top the pie with the plain cover (with the rolled out dough) and put a couple of slits on top or cut the flattened out dough into strips and make a woven cover for the pie. Use a fork or your fingers to pinch the edges together. 

·    Once that’s done, bake the pie for about 20-30 minutes, at 400° F, until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in the crust.

·    The traditional way to serve apple pie in some parts of England (such as Yorkshire) is with cheese. In many Commonwealth countries, apple pie is served with ice cream, custard or double cream. But like the majority of people, I love it just the way it is with no additions whatsoever. I love to relish the flavor of the pie in itself, with no other flavors interfering.

Enjoy your pie!