An Apple Pie Made with Love

Apple pie means many things to many people–patriotism, home, grandmother, fall, Thanksgiving……

To tell you the truth, I’ve never been a pie enthusiast, but I respect the reverence many of my fellow New Englanders and Americans have for apple pie.

So when I was asked to help judge an Apple Pie Contest last week I took the job seriously. The contest, sponsored by Pierce Bros Coffee, was one of the highlights of the Fall Festival at the First Congregational Church of Shelburne, Massachusetts.

Luckily, my two fellow judges were veterans of the contest. Jay Fidanza of WHAI Radio and Beth Lorenz of Lorenz Honda showed me the ropes. They were both serious and speedy.

Jay told me he knew a winner when he tasted it. Beth said she liked to look for contrasting flavors and textures in a pie.

When asked what I thought defined the best apple pie, I declared that the best pies were ”made with love.”

Several of the eight pies assembled took a little ranking. But we had no trouble identifying the best pie right off the bat. Number eight was both tart and sweet, and its crust was not only gorgeous but mouth-meltingly buttery.

When the prizes were awarded, we discovered that it had indeed been made with love, by fifteen-year-old Jaimye Larsen of Shelburne, with some help from her mother Anne.

Here’s their recipe. Throw in some of your own love and serve it to guests. They will swoon!

Ingredients:

for the crust

2/3 cup salted butter
1 cup flour
1/3 cup ice water

for the filling:

5 cups apples (half Macs, half Cortlands)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 generous teaspoon cinnamon
lots of pats of butter

for finishing:

about 1 tablespoon cream
cinnamon sugar to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 470 degrees.

Prepare the crust. Combine the butter and flour and dump in the ice water. Don’t overmix the pastry. Roll it out into two crusts.

Place the bottom crust in your pie pan. Combine the apples, sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Place this filling over the crust. Dot pats of butter on top.

Gently lay the top crust on top of the filling. Cut little holes or slits in the top to allow the crust to breathe, and drizzle cream over the top. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar overall.

Pop the pie into the oven, and immediately reduce the heat to 450 degrees. Bake for 1/2 hour. Jaimye and Anne say it will be slightly undercooked–which is the effect they want.

Serves 6 to 8.

Baker Jaimye Larsen (left) and Judge Beth Lorenz share a piece of pie.