Week Two

This week features...

BETH vs. GERMAN APPLE PIE
&
ANDREA vs. PEACH PIE

I was a little worried about Pie League this week, because I had a nasty cold. But, I could not cancel. Pie League must go on!!! I decided to make a German Apple Pie. I know what you're thinking, "What is a German Apple Pie and what makes it different from a regular good ol' American Apple Pie? What are you, some kind of Nazi?" Well, to answer your questions, I have no idea what makes it German, and no, I'm not a Nazi. Let's begin....

First, I peeled the apples. I wanted to do the whole "Sleepless in Seattle" thing where Tom Hanks remembers how his wife could "peel an apple in one, long curly strip." And I did it! A success!!! One long curly strip!

And according to my "step by step" pictures, that's all I did. I peeled some apples and this is what happened....


It was a bit more complicated than that of course. But for some reason I didn't take pictures. I guess I didn't want to bore you with each step. Anyhow, I basically just made a pie crust from the recipe that was with the German Apple Pie recipe. I guess what makes it so different than your regular Apple Pie, is that there is no top crust, and you pour a cup of heavy cream on the top. I don't know about you, but I think if a recipe call for a cup of heavy cream, it's automatically a winner.

I attempted the use of foil around the crust edges this time. It did not work. Enough said.

Foil or no foil, the pie turned out AMAZING!!!

I put it on the windowsill to cool, just like the grandmas used to! Actually, I don't know any grandmas that actually did that. I think it was just in cartoons. The old lady would put the pie on the windowsill and then a kid, or bum, or fox or something would come steal the pie. Anyhow, the German Apple Pie turned out both appealing to the eye, and the tummy! Now on to Andrea's second week adventure.....

And an adventure it was....

This was not a shining moment for me. Which made me really sad, as peach is one of my favorites of all the pies. Most of my troubles came with the crust, which you shall see in the horrible pictures to come.

Well, peaches certainly do not peel into long, beautiful, curly strips.

I attempted the 4-H Pie Crust that Beth raved about. I screwed up the procedure by adding all of the liquids to flour and shortening before cutting the shortening into the flour. So, into the garbage it went.

I later discovered that this was not really necessary. Apparently, it's okay to mix it all up together. It is not vital to cut it first. However, with me not being a brilliant baker to start with, I like to follow the rules. Not taking any chances here! You would think the second batch would have gone much better, right? Wrong. It was a gooey, sticky, thick mess. I could barely get it off the counter, and into the new pie plate Joel had picked up for me.

What. A. Mess.

In go the peaches. And more peaches. And more. I later discovered the reason I had to keep adding peaches in order to fill up the pie plate. The one Joel bought for me was a deep-dish pan. So at least that explains one of the disasters of the evening.

The famous patch.

The finished product. Mmm... real appetizing, huh? Can you spot the patch?

The peach pie won this one. I tried to get the best of her, but to no avail. Between the two failed crusts, and the addition of multiple peaches to account for the oversized pie pan, and the general look of the pie... she won. By a landslide. Someday, we will meet again.

Beth vs. German Apple: Beth wins.

Andrea vs. Peach: Pie wins.

A little extra photo shoot....

What a beautiful scene!

Crisp, fall apples behind the lovely, golden baked pie...

And then there is the symbolism of the mounds of garbage,

paired with the ruined peach pie...

Oh man, what a week!


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WEEK 2 RECIPES

GERMAN APPLE PIE

(from A Taste of the Country Cookbook, 8th Edition)

Crust:

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 to 3 tbs ice water

Filling:

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

2 tsp ground cinnamon

6 cups sliced peeled baking apples (I used Mcintosh apples)

1 cup heavy cream

Whipped cream, optional

In a bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with vanilla and stir in. Sprinkle with water, one tablespoon at a time, stirring until pastry holds together. Shape into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8 inch thinkness. Transfer to a 9" pie plate; trim and flute edges. For filling, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon; sprinkle 3 tablespoons into crust. Top with half of the apples. Sprinkle with half of the remaining sugar mixture. Top with remaining apples and sugar mixture. Poor cream over all. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degress; bake for 55-60 minutes, or until apples are tender. Cool. Serve with whipped cream if desired. (I found it to be best if it was still a little warm when served.)

PEACH PIE

(from The Buenie Cookbook, 3rd Edition, 2009)

1 (9") double pie crust

5-6 peaches, peeled and sliced

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix together and put into crust-lined pie pan. Cover with top crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until nicely browned. (Or until it looks like garbage.)