Friday Night Pie

Aaron wanted pie. Not just any pie, apple pie. And so began each of our first endeavors into making a pie. What fun it was!

First, and most importantly - making the ice cream to go with the pie. What self-respecting apple pie does not demand homemade vanilla ice cream? This was a simple process because ice cream making is simple and I had made this recipe before. However, I have never properly made this recipe, ingredient for ingredient. The first time I made it, I could only find apricot preserves. And this time, I already had some orange marmalade, so I used that. I think it is used for for a natural sweetness than anything else, but I could be wrong. I did not notice a huge change in the flavor, just little bits of orange zest here and there. Made the ice cream, let it freeze overnight. Hands smelled like vanilla, which is infinitely more welcomed than when they smell like minced garlic.

Oh! If you have a KitchenAid mixer, buy their ice cream maker attachment. It works incredibly well and will tempt you to make ice creams, sorbets, gelatos, frozen yogurts, and sherbets throughout the year.

Pie day! First was to the grocery store to pick up apples and other needed supplies. The recipe did not say what kind of apple to use, so we opted for Fuji. I am not an apple eater, so I was lost when it came to this. I like Granny Smith for my Apple Dumplings, but someone *cough Aaron cough* does not like them.

Upon reaching my place, the first order of business was to make the pie dough. I have heard horror stories about pie dough, so I was nervous going into it. Pie dough is so easy! The main thing is to make sure everything is cold - shortening, butter, water. Into the fridge the two balls of dough went to chill, and onto apple cutting we went. Coring, peeling, and slicing.

The most difficult part was rolling the dough out. I am not the best roller, so things got a little uneven. But they worked and the pie tin was covered and in went the apple mixture. We got too many apples, so our pie was well filled. Now came the lattice. Have I mentioned that I am also not a great precision cutter? Yeah, Aaron should have done that part. I may have tried to claim the uneven cutting made it look for rustic, but I think that was like calling a scorched steak "blackened." But I rocked the latticing!

The edges were trimmed and into the oven it went along with those tasty pie dough scraps. Which is where the trouble started. Being new to my oven, we had not worked out all the kinks of our relationship, gotten to know each other well. So, I think when I tried to set the timer, I set the oven timer, which apparently lets you set how long to keep your oven on. And, since I had set it for 10 minutes in order to get the dough scraps out, the pie warmed, but did not bake, for 35 of its 45 minutes in the oven. Oops.

At 45 minutes, seeing that the pie and the dough were still rather raw, I saw the error of my ways and turned the oven back on and baked the pie a little longer. However, the dough was still not done and the apples were still very firm, so it baked some more. Meanwhile, Aaron and I were watching a movie. And, at some point, an odor arose - a burnt odor. Quickly moving to the kitchen this is the sight that we were met with...

uh oh... I checked the pie, and it was fine, but the dough scraps, oh the dough scraps. Burnt. Not singed, not well-toasted. Charred black burnt. Crumble to soot in your hands burnt. And my apartment was filling with smoke. Having had a smoke-filled apartment before (my blog is not called "Where there's smoke" after all) windows and doors were opened, fans were turned on, and a waving of dish towels commenced. Thankfully, the fire alarm did not go off, just a few neighbors wondering why the new girl was burning down their building. The smoke dissipated, the smell still lingers today.

But what about the pie? Did it suffer and adverse effects? Judge for yourself...

I think that is the most beautiful apple pie I have ever seen. But, pies are not enjoyed based on their beauty. It is all about the taste. Well, I think we should have gone with a different apple. The Fujis let out a lot of juice, which made the bottom of the pie a little mushy. We also should have cut them thinner and smaller since sometimes a forkful yielded a chunk of apple that would be inappropriate to shove in your mouth among others. I also think the apples were too sweet - it lacked a slight tartness that maybe a Granny Smith or two would bring. The top of the pie crust was phenomenal, and the slight taste of lemon juice cutting through the sweet was excellent. And with some homemade ice cream, it was a Friday night to enjoy.