One of the best things to receive (and give, in my opinion) is food. Whether it’s a food drive or pot luck, holiday dinner or party, food is always the giving hand that restructures a bridge that may have been burned, the newborn who’s been brought into the world or the Thanksgiving dinner that can never have too many bowls of cranberry sauce. It’s almost like there’s some universal unspoken law that the act of giving food abides by. It’s always heartfelt, it’s sometimes homemade and it’s definitely always appreciated.
At least this is how I see it, so naturally the other day when a friend of mine from Windy Acres Farm brought by a crate full of enough apples to supply my pie-making endeavors for two years, I was floored. Not only because the act was so selfless and unexpected, but because they weren’t just bottom-of-the-barrel apples, rejects that were placed in a crate and brought to my kitchen to bake away the evidence. These Macoons were worthy enough to be eaten raw, dipped in peanut butter, baked into a pie or cooked into an applesauce.
I was giddy, my oven perked up at the site of the crate and before I knew it, the warm spiced scent of an apple pie’s aroma was filtrating through my kitchen and sending begging eyes from all directions. One pie later and I had barely made a dent in my crate, but with the biggest pie-giving day of the year quickly approaching, this wooden box couldn’t have entered into my life at a better time.
It truly is the little things (or what comes in an 18 x 12 x 9 crate) in life that warms up the approaching temperature drop. (Or maybe it’s the heat penetrating from a 400 degree oven?) With that being said, I think I hear my kitchen calling.
Apple Pie
Pie Crust – Yield of one double-crust or two single-crust pies
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 sticks salted cold butter
- 1 cup very cold water
Combine flour and sugar. Grate cold butter into flour-sugar mixture, and using your hands, crumble the butter and flour mixture until course crumbles appear, similar to oatmeal. Slowly drizzle in water, about ½ cup. Work with hands until dough forms. If still dry, use the remaining ½ cup water or until the dough comes together. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in fridge to firm up.
Pie Filling
- 8 Macoon apples, peeled, cored and cubed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 egg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the peeled and cubed apples with lemon juice. Add flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar until thoroughly mixed. Divide the chilled dough in half and roll out one ball of pie crust and place in pie dish. Fill with apple mixture and roll out remaining dough and form your lattice of choice for the top of the pie. Beat the egg in a small bowl and using a pastry brush, brush all exposed areas of dough. Bake in oven for 40-50 minutes or until crust is browned and apples are tender. Allow to cool before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
Writer Aiyana Edmund and photographer Kaitlyn Ferris are North Fork natives who together explore and adore Long Island’s sights, smells and sounds, usually found at golden hour. They bring an appreciation of local and homegrown ingredients to their recipes and are inspired by the simple things in life, like manual focus and windowsill grown herbs. See more of their recipes at savorysenses.com.
