I started out thinking I'd make apple dumplings but as I went on I got lazier and more pressed for time. After peeling and coring three apples, when they wouldn't fit nicely in my pan I lost my temper and sliced them up. By which point it was supper time and my dessert making moment had essentially vanished so I pivoted towards a pie crust (2 cups flour, 2 sticks butter crumbled together) using milk instead of water for binding, instead of making that complicated dumpling dough I can't even remember how to do. And then it really was supper time so I piled all the dough all over the apples and mushed it down in a heavy-handed and fraught way (normally I'm pretty careful about rolling out pie dough--confidence but not thuggery or it comes out too tough). And then I baked it at 350 while we ate lentils and rice, the children carefully trying to eat around the lentils and Matt and I gazing across the table at each other in boredom and anguish as the baby poured glass after glass of water on the floor and more and more rice was pushed over the side of each plate. The pie/cobbler/whatever came out golden and gorgeous. I should probably also mention that before mashing the dough in over the apples I happened to pour half a cup of Manzanilla along with a whole lot of brown sugar all over them. This, perhaps, is the key to the whole experience. The pie was tart and sweet but not too sweet. I fed it to the children in little prep bowls--first, seconds and then thirds--and stood furtively in the kitchen eating it quietly myself with a large serving spoon.
3 comments:
Last fall, I was watching a TV cooking show, and the chef said to *not* peel the apples for a pie. I find that I lose patience with apple peeling at about apple #3, so I was happy to embrace this advice! I tried it, and the skins soften up perfectly when cooked. It makes apple pie making go so much quicker! At least it does for me, since I don't own a peeler/corer.
The local park had an orchard's worth of heirloom apple trees donated to it in the 80's, and now lets people in once day a year to pick a 5 gallon bucket's worth for $5. We rushed over on Sunday as soon as we took Communion, to get in line. There is 1/3 of an apple pie and 1 cup or so of applesauce in the refrigerator, and 3 gallon bags of frozen apples plus 4 quarts of applesauce in my freezer right now. I'd still be working through them, if I'd had to peel them!
Meanwhile, I lost my temper with the children and myself because of the disgusting state of the house, worked myself into a panic attack, and finally ran to the store to purchase three of their cheapest frozen cheese pizzas. I also seriously considered and then stalwartly resisted buying a six-pack of wine coolers, on the grounds that taking up solitary drinking when I am also in a state of solitary responsibility for five children is Not A Good Idea.
The children cheered when I thrust the pizzas in their general direction, which somewhat soothed my guilt over NOT painstakingly putting together the lovely chicken pot pies I had originally planned for dinner. I will make those next week, though I still plan to cheat by using a rotisserie chicken and frozen pie crusts from the store.
I tell you this so that you can feel better about the thuggery you committed with your lovely pie crust/cobbler thing, as well as the furtive eating of same. You're welcome.
Also, please pray for me. And the children. Peace and Harmony and general Survival would be good things right now.
The way children react when presented with lovingly homemade food (unless it's something made with chocolate) makes me want to serve frozen pizza and chicken nuggets all the time, only I could't stand eating it. This week, failures: Spanish rice, cheese and spinach enchiladas, pork ragout. Winner: frozen pizza.
Nuts to them.
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