National Pie Day

23 Jan 2012 11 Comments

by Raelyn Barclay in General Tags: All-American Apple Plie, Never Fail Pie Crust, pies, Raelyn Barclay, recipes

According to the Pie Council, pie has been around since the ancient Egyptians. And apparently, the Romans spread the word.

The first pies were likely meat. That holiday favorite Mincemeat actually HAD meat once upon a time, though it is now mostly a mix of dried fruit and spices. The first fruit pies are credited to Queen Elizabeth I.

The first settlers would have brought pie to America. And, of course, the pie evolved into the dessert we love today. Pie is such a part of American culture we even have the phrase “as American as apple pie.”

National Pie Day is to be celebrated by baking, eating, and sharing pies. As pies are my favorite dessert to make, don’t y’all wish you were living next door right about now? LOL

Okay, the base of a great pie is a great pie crust. I admit to being a bit of a crust snob too. I’ve never used the pre-made stuff because Mum gave me her recipe (she encountered the recipe when she and Dad lived in Victoria BC back in the 60′s but doesn’t know the originator) and I’d rather bake from scratch than use the pre-made stuff — see? I’m a food snob.

Never Fail Pie Crust

1 pound lard ** (this can be a tough one to find — in some stores you’ll find it over by the bacon, etc.; some stores have it over next to the Crisco, etc.; sometimes you’ll find it packaged by the pound and others in big 5 pound cans)
5 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar (I prefer the cider)
2/3 cups water

Blend together lard, flour, and salt — coarse crumbs. Whip up egg, add sugar, vinegar, and water. Add egg mix to flour mix and blend into ball. You’ll want to put in the fridge for at least an hour before rolling.

Stores in fridge for about a month and makes approximately 5 single crust pies.

** Note about the lard: this is rendered pig fat and I know a lot of people have a problem with this. I’ve used butter — NOT margarine — before with okay results. I’m not a fan of products like Crisco so have never tried that but it might work. All I can say is with the lard the crust rolls beautifully, you can re-roll it two or three times if you need and it still comes out, and cooks up tender and flaky every single time! Hence the title

And here is my

All-American Apple Pie

6 tart apples
1/2 cup each granulated sugar and brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon and nutmeg
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 cup raisins
3 tablespoons butter

Combine sugars, spices, and lemon rind. Roll out pie crust and fit into a 9 inch pie pan. Peel apples and slice. Place half the apples in the pan. Top with half the raisins. Repeat layers. Sprinkle sugar mixture over top. Dot with butter. Roll out more pie crust and cover pie. Trim and press rim with a fork. Cut slits in top for steam to escape. Bake at 375 for about 50 minutes or till apples are soft and crust golden.

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