A piece of the pie

“If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe” – Dr. Carl Sagan

The day was that first one in August, when the morning was cool enough to make a person wear a sweater. Although the afternoon sun was bright and hot, the sky was high and blue.

There was nothing about the weather, though, to make a person long for pie - unless it was the thought a person could bear to turn the oven on for long enough to bake one.

Contemplate pie, it must be admitted, is what I did all the way home from work. I managed to contain my thoughts so no one else was likewise afflicted, but I still had pie on the brain.

The best pie, in my opinion, is apple pie. One year at about this time, when the pie craving swept over me, I bought a can of apples. The resulting pie was a true work of art and I could hardly wait to get my teeth into it! If you’ve had the experience, I need say no more: one disappointing mouthful spoiled my taste for pie that day.

It will be some weeks yet before the Gravensteins are ready. There is nothing that matches the tartness of Gravensteins in a pie. Some will tell you “Spies make the best pies!” These folks value appearance over taste, and they are welcome to their Spies. The only appearance that matters to me is the perfect, toasted colour of the pie crust. This shows the pie was baked in a hot oven and the bottom crust will be equally tender... though, if the apples are juicy, that bottom crust will not be described as flaky: it will be deliciously saturated with the tangy taste of apple.

Other apples hold their shape better than Gravensteins, I must admit. This means the filling can actually support the upper crust, even if it is very flaky. I have no objection if the upper crust collapses when it’s cut into. If the roof of the pie is very high, it’s evidence there were lots of apples to begin with, and the flavour will therefore be concentrated.

Apple pie – tart apples in a hand-cut and hand-rolled pastry baked in a hot oven long enough to turn the crust golden brown – benefits from spices. You can purchase a blend called apple pie spice, but I prefer to vary the concentration, or even single out a spice of the day: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and perhaps a light sprinkle of chili powder. How about an opportunity to conduct another fresh ginger experiment?

Yes, apple pie with a delicate hint of grated gingerroot – that was the pie I was craving. It will be some weeks yet before the Gravensteins are ready. There is nothing that matches the tart flavour of Gravensteins in a pie. I can hardly wait!