A is for Apple Pie

While fall brings a harvest of a variety of apples, I enjoy apple pie most in the winter when I take frozen pie out of the freezer and cook it during a storm. The smell fills the kitchen with cinnamon and nutmeg and to me nothing says warm and cozy like apple pie! I make about 12 of these pies each fall to carry us through the winter and to provide an easy dessert when company comes. To make the job more manageable I make six pies at a time.

The Apples
My grandmother Nancy (Mills) Jukes b. 1891 always used Cortland apples, as did my mother, Margaret (Jukes) Brennan (b.1927) I have continued to rely on Cortland’s for all of my fall apple pie cooking. I have up-dated this recipe over the years and now use it when I want a fresh apple pie or when I want to put some pies away for a cold winter day. They remain firm after being frozen raw and when cooked maintain their flavour. You will need about six cups of apples for each pie.

The apples are peeled, sliced into chunks and placed in cold water to which you have added 2T lemon juice to prevent the apples from turning brown while you prepare the pastry and spices. A 10 lb bag of apples will make about 6 pies.

The Pastry

This recipe is for a 2-crust pie. It can be easily quadrupled ( 8 c flour and so on) if you are making 6 pies and using 9″ tin foil pie plates as they are smaller than a glass pie plate and not as deep. This is a fairly generous amount of pastry. You will need a large bowl to make the large batch or you can mix it up one batch at a time depending on the number of pies you are making. Remember this is for 1-two crust pie

• 2 c. Flour
• 2/3 c. Crisco Shortening
• 2 t. Baking Powder
• 1 t. Salt1/4 c water in which you put a nice cube

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with two knives or a pastry blender, until well blended and crumbly. Gradually add the cold water blending until the mixture forms a ball. Try not to over mix and do not let the dough get too wet. It you squeeze a handful of the pastry together in your hand it should hold together. This dough is quite forgiving because of the baking powder so if you need to add more water or extra flour you will still get a nice pastry. Divide the dough into equal portions for top and bottom of each pie you are making.

The Spice Mix
For each pie combine the following:
3/4 t. Cinnamon
1/2. t. Nutmeg
3/4 c. Sugar ( I use brown sugar to get a slightly Carmel Apple flavoured pie)

I place larger amounts of sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in small individual bowls when making 6 pies and then add each ingredient to all six pies one at a time from each bowl.

Putting the Pies Together
Roll out six bottom crusts and place in each foil pie plate. Allow crust to overlap about one inch over the side so you can seal the edge when the top crust is added. Place approximately 6 c. apples in pie shell and add sugar and spices. Top each pie with about a 1 T. Butter ( I use hard butter and cut it up and sprinkle the pieces over the pie)
Roll out six top crusts and place on top of each pie.
Seal the edges of the pie by pressing down against the plate with a fork or by twisting the edge with your thumb and forefinger to make a fluted edge.

I mark a small letter A on the top of each pie with a knife to identify it when frozen and allow steam to escape during cooking.

Packaging
Place each pie in a sturdy freezer bag and remove as much air as possible.
Pies will be good for 6 months.

Cooking the Pies
Cook your pies from frozen state. Preheat oven to 350 moderate oven.
Place the pie on a cookie sheet to catch any juice and cover top of pie with tin foil.
Bake for 30 minutes and then remove tin foil to allow top crust to brown.
Bake for an additional 30 -40 minutes until the applies are cooked and the crust is lightly browned.

Serve warm or cold, with or without ice cream or vanilla yogurt.

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B is for Blueberry Dumplings

I remember the first time I tasted Nannie Brennan’s (Clara Stockley b. 1899) Blueberry Dumplings. I watched the thick stew of sweetened blueberries bubbling on the stove and when she dropped the creamy white dough into the pot I just could not imagine how delightful this dessert would be. But, when the warm bowl was placed in front of me and I tasted my first spoonful of berry-stained dough smothered in a thick blue sauce I became a believer!!

Stewed blueberries
Begin by preparing the blueberries and put in a saucepan over medium heat until the berries are soft.
1 Quart clean blueberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

While blueberry mixture cooks prepare the dough by combining egg, milk and melted butter, beat well. Mix sugar and flour together and blend into liquid until well blended.

Dough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup Milk

Drop by tablespoons into hot berry mixture, reduce heat to low and cover pan cooking until dumplings are cooked about 20 minutes.
Serve warm or cold. Optional: Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream

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W is for War Cake

War Cake was a staple of Maritime Families during the 1940’s and onward.  There are many recipes for war cake which is essentially a boiled raisin cake.  It was developed because of the shortage of basic staples like eggs and milk:

This is Lydia (Brennan) Juke’s recipe for war cake

Combine the following ingredients in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, being careful not to let it boil over.  Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.

2 1/2 cups of water

2 cups of white or brown sugar

1 cup of tender flake lard

1 1/2 cups of raisin

little bit of salt

2 teaspoons of cloves

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

After the mixture has cooled add the following:

3 /2 cups of flour

1 tsp of baking soda.

Bake for in a greased 9 x 12 plan at 350 degrees until done.