Friday, September 23, 2011

PIE #41 - Applesauce Pie


Whenever I think of applesauce, I chuckle. Applesauce makes me think of my dearest friend from my military wife days, Erin Flores Dawley. I met her while our Marine husbands were stationed together at 3rd Recon Battalion in Okinawa, Japan. We instantly bonded after first meeting. Erin was of English descent with a penchant for Asian culture. I am of Asian descent with a love of all things British.

As our husbands spent many months in rigorous training, we spent many hours in conversation over a hot "cuppa" of perfectly brewed English tea. We planned exquisite tea parties that became weekly affairs. We dubbed ourselves the ladies of F.A.T. - Friday Afternoon Tea. That day became an oasis in my week, a day where I could connect and commiserate with dear friends while our husbands defended our freedoms in faraway war zones. I had a newborn and a toddler and was scared witless to have Joe fighting in the midst of Operation Desert Storm. The tea ladies became my family, my lifeline, my anchor, my escape during those uncertain times.

Being military wives in a foreign land, we all experienced the rich and diverse culture of Okinawa, Japan and the oftentimes hilarious encounters of being a military dependent in a foreign country. It was one of these encounters that Erin shared with me over tea that will be indelibly etched into my brain and will surface whenever applesauce is mentioned.

Erin's son, an infant at the time, was having tummy troubles. Erin took him to the base clinic and as anyone who has ever experienced socialized medicine can attest, you get what you get in terms of medical treatment. The doctor that tended to her son was a Chinese man with a thick accent. The way Erin described him, I envisioned a short man with buck teeth and a thick shock of jet black hair fringing his coke bottle lens glasses. After poking and prodding the infant and inquiring about his symptoms, he recommended that Erin feed him Epsom salts to relieve the gastrointestinal distress.

Erin stared at him in disbelief. "Epsom salts??", she exclaimed.

"No, no, no!" the doctor retorted in an exasperated tone, his buck teeth jutting, his shock of black bangs flinging over his glasses as he shook his head. "Not Epsom salts. Epsom salts!"

It finally dawned on Erin that the doctor was saying "applesauce", but in his thick Chinese accent, she was hearing "Epsom salts"!

We both had a good laugh and to this day every time applesauce is mentioned, I fondly think of Erin, our wonderful teas, the fun conversations and the heartwarming experiences we shared being military wives in the Land of the Rising Sun. This applesauce pie recipe is in her honor. And I halfway assume that the applesauce in it will quell any tummy troubles.

Just make sure not to substitute Epsom salts in the recipe.


Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/4 cup cold water

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Toss well by hand to mix. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and toss to mix. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut or rub the butter into the flour until it is broken into pieces the size of small peas. Add the shortening and continue to cut until all of the fat is cut into small pieces. Sprinkle half of the water over the mixture. Toss well with a fork to dampen the mixture. Add the remaining water, 1 1/2-2 tablespoons at a time, and continue to toss and mix, pulling the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl on the upstroke and gently pressing down on the downstroke. Dough made my hand often needs a bit more water. If necessary, add water 1-2 tablespoons at a time until the pastry can be packed.

Using your hands, pack the pastry into a ball as you would pack a snowball. Knead the ball once or twice, then flatten the ball into a 3/4-inch-thick disk on a floured work surface. Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling.

On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the pastry into a 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9-inch pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge so it is just slightly higher than the rim. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes and prepare filling.

Filling:
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 cups sweetened applesauce
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine the eggs, egg yolk, and sugars in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, blend the ingredients on medium speed until well mixed, about 30 seconds. Add all the remaining ingredients and beat again until evenly blended. Carefully pour the filling into the chilled pie shell.

Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until the filling is set, about 30 minutes more. Rotate the pie 180 degrees, so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward, about 15 minutes before it is done. The pie's surface should have a flat finish, although the center will still be glossy. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool thoroughly. Cover with loosely tented foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

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