Apple Pie

I should be talking about pumpkin actually as it is October. But I really want to blog about September. As usual I am always late with everything. I like to talk about apples. Although this October many millions of people did talked about Apple. But I am going to talk about a different apple. The kind that grow on trees.

On the 17th of September, it was the national apple picking day here in Netherlands. Since living here, we would make it a ritual to visit the apple farm.

We plucked different sort of apples this year. Elstar, Jonagold and Goudrenette.

                               

 

This particular sort is called Goudrenette. Which is good for cooking and baking.

I never had to learn how to bake apple pie as I am surrounded by apple pie experts in Netherlands. My mother-in-law for example would bake apple pies whenever she is free and store them in the freezer and ready to serve whenever she has guests visiting her. This year as we plucked so many Goudrenette apples I decided to try for the very first time baking an apple pie. And of course, I have to use my mother-in-law aged old recipe. I find this particular apple pie  very unique as the apples are grated instead of sliced.

Whenever I look at this photo I have to laugh. As I was baking this apple pie and decorating the apples on the pie, I thought to myself " The apple slices formed a pair of very nice water lily flowers!". And then I thought maybe I go next door to my 70 year old neighbor's fish pond and steal one on the pretty lily flower and complement this pie in the photo.

 And then, what do you know? My neighbor rang the doorbell and handed me this particular Lily flower! She said, "I remembered you like this lily very much and as I am going away for vacation I want you to have this". Isn't she sweet? ( Thank goodness I don't always do what I am thinking!!) I like to share this apple pie with her but her doctor advice her to stay away from anything sweet.

Of course, one good thing about mother-in-law is, they are never short of tips and advice. It turns out that whenever I grate the apples I should not grate it with a back and forth movement or else the apples would be too watery. The reason Goudrenette  apples are suitable for apple pie is they are not too sweet and too soft and watery. AND when kneading the dough for the crust do not knead too long or else the result will be chewy instead of a shortbread-liked broken crust. Make sense, right? (I am not going to argue with her, especially when  I need to borrow her recipe)

              At the apple farm was some pears too.

For the first time this year, my very own apple apple tree bear some apples. And they are pretty!

And delicious too.

***note : I said "grated apples" and it should be "shredded apples", don't want your apples turn into baby food ( Thanks Serena)

Moving on to pumpkin project soon.

 Or maybe not.