ambassador pie

My matrilineal apple pie recipe may have its roots in Ohio, but it is now budding in Beijing.

the surrogate tart pan

Today's creation began with an invitation to my boss and her husband for pie and tea. I asked if that would be of interest to them, knowing that desserts are not as popular here as in the West.

He really likes apple pie, she says. McDonald's apple pie. She is not such a big fan.

It was actually a relief to hear that she was not impressed with the deep-fried canned-apple-filling of a so-called dessert. It meant that there was still plenty of possibility that she would enjoy a real homemade apple pie.

imports

And so, the proposed apple pie called for the running of a few special errands, if it were to come to fruition. Butter can be found at the local grocery story, but only a Chinese brand and a similar New Zealand brand. My taste buds have not adjusted to either, as they [consistently] taste too much like a block of already souring butter.

And so, I found myself biking to Carrefour, the French supermarket, in search of butter. There, I have choice of not only French, but Danish butter - both of which offer the familiar sweet creamy flavor. Just what is needed for the perfect pie crust.

The tart pan pictured above was purchased at Ikea - one of the few places in Beijing that offers such oddities. I use it for pies here, mainly because its large size allows me to share with a larger number of people.

Shortly after arriving, I familiarized myself with several appliance stores in search of a reasonable oven. It was almost inconceivable to have a kitchen without an oven, and so I made an extra effort to bring one home. Breads, cakes, muffins, dingerators, and rolls are just a few of the goodies born as a result of that quest.

risk à la mode

Anyone who has eaten any of my desserts (or savories) knows that it is all I can do to resist altering a recipe. Once you have a grasp on the essential components of a recipe, it is quite possible and eve more so tempting to substitute or add on to a recipe - even one that is quite perfect in its original form. With the world as a pantry, why limit yourself to the recipe at hand?

Here in Beijing, I have two other excuses. Without my recipe box or favorite books on hand, I am left to an insipid surfing of online recipe collections. Simple hunts for ingredients turn into wild and often fruitless chases to distant and overpriced grocery stores. And so, I often opt for the improvised recipe - one that speaks of days past, but works with ingredients and utensils on hand today.

It is risky.

It is also quite often the most rewarding way to work in the kitchen. Ingredients seem poised in suspenseful support, ready to blend with flavors otherwise taboo. Utensils reinvent themselves and work double-duty in the name of culinary missions. Adrenaline seems to dance in the air like a wand that orchestrates the utensils about the ingredients.

making of a pie

Though I have made many an apple pie, it seems as though each attempt is my first. The making of a pie is as much art as it is skill - an effort that is rewarded sweetly each time.

Every apple pie begins with the union of flour and butter in their simplest form:

step-01. cutting butter into the flour with [pastry cutter(s)]

I begin with 200g of unsalted butter (Présidente, ¥22), 2-3 heaping cupfuls of flour, and a pinch of salt (aiming for a double-crust.) I like to use cold butter, though it does present a challenge in its slowness to blend with the flour. Above, egg beaters substitute for a surprising closeness to a pastry cutter, an essential for ease of pie-making.

Unsalted butter, because the goodness of a crust is in the pure creamy flavor which is enhanced by the flakiness of the crusty. The pinch of salt can be omitted if desired, and its amount can otherwise be controlled.

Back in the US, I would use all-purpose unbleached flour. Here in Beijing, any flour I use is all-purpose as far as I'm concerned, even if it is in fact otherwise.

step-02. pea-sized butter-balls

Cut the butter into the flour until it reaches a somewhat silken and pea-sized texture. A butter knife suffices to clean the pastry cutter of choice should it get clogged up mid-process.

step-03. a fragile step

Water or milk is needed to bring the dough crumble into a workable dough. Using a fork, lift the crumbles as you pour a small amount of water, not exceeding 1/2 cup. The dough should be wet enough to hold together but not so sticky that it feels wet.

Working the dough too much with the fork will result in a chewy crust. No one likes a chewy crust. Crusts are born to be flaky, and that requires a delicacy in prepping the dough. The right balance can often be found only after several attempts at making pie crust. Short-cuts such as store-bought or ready-boxed crust will be obvious to any pie connoisseur.

step-04. forming a dough ball

After adding a bit of water, test the dough by first forming a ball, then flattening it on the counter.

I like to grab half of the dough and pull it into a recognizable mound on the counter-top. Here, pastry chefs would probably interject to say that a cold, stone countertop is best (to prevent the butter from warming as it is worked.) I am lucky enough to have stone countertops in Beijing, my first, in fact!

First push the mound of dough on all sides, and then push down on the center, keeping the other hand firmly at the side.

If the edges do not hold tight and flour falls loosely, be a bit more liberal with the water - the dough is dry. If the dough sticks to your hands, then you should add flour - the dough is wet. Do so cautiously, so as not to overly lessen the butter:flour ratio.

step-05. rolling [out the] pie shell

Only the rolling pin can give an accurate verdict on dough quality. Ease of rolling indicates the quality is good. Difficulty indicates you may not want to turn this loose on company.

Secrets to rolling out a round crust include 1) experience, 2) patience, 3) rolling equally in all directions, 4) rolling from the center outwards.

Dough begs to be pulled and stretched into open spaces, not pushed and forced into closed corners. I believe there is a more profound parallel to life hidden in the desires of dough.

As the dough is stretched into shape, the butter and flour slide past each other, bringing the inside to the out. The dough will thin, and in the process, virgin butter will cling to the rolling pin. Sprinkle flour on the shell before flipping (and you will end up with flour underneath the disk; this is much easier than trying to lift the shell and put flour on the counter.)

step-06. denying flour its reign

Depending on your [or your oven's] speed, you may want to preheat (150ºC or 350ºF) the oven now. To do so without getting flour all over the kitchen, use a plastic bag as a glove, which can easily be donned and discarded as you move between tasks (for example, taking pictures at each stage of the process.)

step-07. scallop away

Apples are needy fruits and require two crusts, top and bottom. Above, I rest the [pie pan] on the shell and scallop around the edge [with a glass] for a perfect fit and aesthetic touch.

step-08. transporting the dough 'seamlessly'

Lifting the dough from the security of the countertop to an airborne state for transferring to the pie pan can be disastrous. My mother and grandmother became experts at folding the shell into quarters and quickly lifting and unfolding into the pan, however non-experts will find this method quick to tear.

A simple solution is to roll the shell up about the rolling pin, allowing it to support the dough in full as it is transferred. Simply unroll the dough starting at one edge of the pie pan.

step-09. shaping the crust

Gently press the pie shell into the pan. The dough ought to be forgiving enough to stretch into shape, but do so with care, else it'll be prone to tear.

step-10. top crust déjà vu

The top crust is usually rolled out immediately after the bottom crust is laid into place, saving the apple prep for last.

step-11. estimating the top crust diameter

Don't throw away that leftover dough! That is what dingerators are made of!

step-12. scrub-a-dub

Once the dough is rolled out and set aside, give the apples a good scrub. I used 7 (Gala-ish) apples of varying size. I paid ¥8, at about ¥5/kg at a local market. Firm, tart/sour apples are recommended, but almost anything (but Red Delicious) will suffice.

step-13. the art of peeling

Peeling apples is no difficult task, at first glance. Maximizing flesh yield by removing as little peel as possible raises the difficulty slightly. Using an old-fashioned apple peeler-corer-slicer is actually a bit more modern than than my trusty method above, and much more fun, if you can find one!

step-14. hard-core

Coring apples is less about taste and more about removing leveling the texture field. Sure, nobody likes the cyanidic seeds, but it is their texture that will first offend. The seed pocket is particularly troublesome if left behind for pie-eaters to discover.

step-15. selective chopping

Peel all the apples first, then quarter and core all the apples. The goal is to minimize surface area exposed to air for prolonged period, which threatens to turn the flesh brown.

step-16. final chopping

My cleaver performs nicely and swiftly in the final stage of apple cutting.

step-17. cinnamon at ¥22

Cinnamon is reserved for salty dishes, mainly meat preparation, in China (and many other parts of the world.)

step-18. make-up for apples

Sugar and cinnamon should be added just to make up for what flavor they do not bring to the pie experience. I admit that I guessed in terms of their portions, and it won't hurt you to try either. A tablespoon of flour will help to absorb some of the juices pulled off the apples by the sugar. Toss lightly until sliced apples are coated.

step-19. together at last

With oven preheated, pour the spiced apples liberally into the pie pan. Stinginess can be tasted.

step-20. tower of apples

As an apple pie has a double crust, an air pocket often forms where the apples soften and settle in the baking process. Adding liberal amounts of apples will ensure that the pie does not look sunken, laden with air instead of apples.

step-21. making a statement

Tradition calls for a design of some shape or form to be cut into the top crust before unrolling over the apples. My attempt at carving '朋友' (meaning "friend") into the crust was perhaps a little too ambitious. Keep it simple, keep it creative.

Generally, the top and bottom crusts are pinched together, but I fashioned this pie to have a scalloped edge from below, with the perimeter of the top crust falling out of sight between the apples and bottom crust.

step-22. final dash of sugar water & crystals

Once the top crust is laid upon the tower of apples, gently massage the apples into a leveled mound, minimizing gaping holes between the crusts. A small gap at this stage will mean a large gap post-baking.

Sprinkle milk or sugar-water over the assembled crust. Tossing a few sugar crystals over the top crust will add to the glisten of the pie as it bakes.

step-23. bake with patience

A pie of this size (10"+) will take approximately 50-60 minutes to bake. Set the timer, but check on it every 15 minutes in the beginning, every 5 minutes towards the end.

step-24. browning... getting warm!

When the crust begins to brown, you are on the home stretch!

step-25. bubbling... even warmer!

Rapid bubbling of juices at the pie's edge indicate a remaining 5-10 minutes bake time. The air should also be heavy with the smell of apples and cinnamon.

step-26. too tempting to wait any longer.

Golden brown, bubbling, and sweet fragrance is an indication that the pie is ready to be pulled out of the oven. I always judge this *moment* by eye.

step-27. stick a fork in it

If you forget to add the tablespoon of flour like I did, you will end up with more juice than you know what to do with, as well as a more visually sloppy pie. But the flavor won't be affected, and as you can see from the above picture, the pie was a hit. I served it with freshly whipped heavy cream.

My mom has honed her pie-making skills such that she can whip up a pie in 20 minutes plus bake time. Well, it's nice to have goals!

Serving apple pie is more than just pie. Though the apple pie existed long before the US was formed, apple pie is now, at least here in China, synonymous with American, hospitality, friendship, and tradition - which is not to overlook the obvious wholesome flavor and delectable goodness!