Thursday and the week is coming to a close. Last night a mad scramble to get ready for Josh's Germans (by the way they have a name - Chris and Sylvia). Worked until as late as I could on the dastardly banking stuff and then raced to Whole Foods, back to the house by 4:30 and then cooked the dinner in record speed - all the things I mentioned yesterday: the oregano feta shrimp, kale potato soup, apple pie, rice pilaf, asparagus. And yay to holding firm to my diet goals! They drank like fish (had to leave their car and cab it home). I drank water, ate tiny amounts and eschewed the dessert entirely. Sent the leftover pie home with Josh so I wouldn't be tempted later.
And funny that today I was thinking of Germans, remembering the characterizations from my English friend Nick who lives near Dusseldorf, drawing conclusions, creating generalizations based on my impressions of Chris and Sylvia. How dumb is that? Can you imagine if I went to Germany and the people I met made sweeping conclusions about Americans based on how I conducted myself? They would think all Americans were bizarrely outgoing, great cooks, sang jazz, wore their heart on their sleeves, and obsessed about reality! So no conclusions about Germans - just really enjoyed Chris and Sylvia - they were lovely and special and so nice to have some new friends!
Tonight is the final evening of the Landmark Being Extraordinary seminar. Am I extraordinary now? Yes I think so - in many ways but still with blind spots and unfinished work. Difference now is that I have tools to tackle those areas. It's just a matter of digging in and doing the work - being courageous and holding myself accountable. Funny e-mail from friend Elliot. Said, "The following sentence from your blog taken out of context is hilarious!" The sentence? The one where I said, if I graded myself on how I've done in the seminar, in all honesty I would probably just get a C! He's right - being extraordinary is A work! - Anything less than an A is flunking! Tonight, leader Tom asked me to sing so think of Sarah up at the Landmark microphone singing a cappella (no accompaniment) in front of fifty people. How far I've come! Was a time when even the thought of getting up in front of a group to sing caused me shortness of breath and sweaty palms. No longer! I'll nail it.
Today - got nothing - no deep thoughts - just need to keep working on the IRS stuff - deadline next week. Regardless of the outcome having that IRS determination behind me will be a good thing - hard to live fully with Damocles' sword ready to behead you at any moment! Limbo sucks.
What I'll leave you with today is my perfect apple pie recipe. Josh (who knows his way around an apple pie) said it was the best apple pie he's ever had in his life. I, not so humbly, agreed that I DO make the perfect pie. Not a happy accident. I think I taste-tested apple pie recipes for the better part of twenty years before finding the holy grail of apple pie recipes. 'Twas worth the wait! I'm going to impart this recipe to you with lots of important chatty comments that, if you follow to the letter, will ensure your success. Let me know if you make this and whether you agree it's sublime.
Sarah's Apple Pie
Ingredients
4 granny smith apples (these are needed because they retain their firmness and shape during cooking)
4 Macintosh, Rome, Jonathan or other apple that breaks down in cooking, imparting juices
1 package of Pillsbury pie crusts - shocking I know that I don't make my own crust (I certainly know how), but in my opinion, Pillsbury makes the perfect crust - better than homemade. They're not frozen - look in the refrigerator dairy section near the tubes of biscuits - they're in a long red box.
1 egg white
2 TBS flour
zest of one lemon
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. brown sugar (either light or dark)
1/2 c. white sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBS butter
Preheat the oven to 410-420. If you haven't used your oven in a while it would be good to get one of those thermometers you can put in it to see if it runs hot or cold. Put foil on the floor of the oven and set the rack to the bottom third.
Peel the apples. Cut them into quarters and remove the core. Slice each quarter into about five slices.
Get a 9" deep dish clear glass Pyrex pie pan (using clear glass is important - makes the lower crust brown versus being mushy - if you can't get a deep dish pan use a standard clear glass pie dish - the size in all cases should be 9") . Remove the pie crusts from the refrigerator about 1/2 hour before starting the pie so that they're not too stiff to work with. Unroll the pie crusts and onto one of them, put about a tsp of flour and with your fingers rub it quickly to the edges. Shake off any excess flour and put that floured side face down in the pie plate. If you're using a deep dish pan, the crust will fit perfectly. If you're using a standard plate, arrange it and then holding your knife at a 90 degree angle to the table slice off any excess crust from the edge.
Lightly beat the egg white with a fork or whisk (throw the yolk away). Using a pastry brush or your hands, apply a light coating of egg white to the crust that you've laid into the plate. Don't miss any spots.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugars and spices. I have a micro planer to zest the lemon. A cheese box grater works too. Only grate the outermost yellow - the white pith is bitter. I also use slightly less than the prescribed 1/2 c. of sugars. Rather than a full cup, my combined white and brown sugar equals about 3/4 c. Use your fingers to massage the mixture together. This is important or else you may have clumps of the lemon zest that are offputting if you get a mouthful.
Arrange half of the apples in the pie plate taking your time. This may seem fussy, but arrange them so that the rounded edges face to the outside of the dish. Try to be strategic eliminating empty spaces (channel your inner bricklayer!). You'll get fast at this - should take no more than a few minutes. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture over the apples. Arrange the rest of the apples (not going too close to the edge or the top pie crust may be hard to crimp. Top with remaining sugar and then the butter which you have cut up into tiny pieces (or if it's soft then dots of soft butter all over the top).
Roll out the top crust with a rolling pin to be slightly larger if you're using the deep dish or even larger if you're using a standard plate. If you omit this step you'll find that the crust won't cover the apples. If you're using a standard plate, it has a nice horizontal lip. Tuck the top crust under the bottom crust, just like you're making a bed (the bottom crust is the mattress and the top crust is the sheet). Don't crimp yet until the top crust is placed in this way. Then go around again and crimp the two crusts together. Couple of ways to do this. You can use the tines of a fork, or two fingers from your right hand and one from your left hand. What's important is that you create a good seal. If you're using a deep dish pie plate there is no nice lip to work with. You will have to do your best to tuck the top crust and then just seal it best you can - it will look rustic.
Brush the top crust with egg white and then with a sharp paring knife make four slits in the top center of the crust - be sure to do this after brushing the egg white or the egg could seal up the holes. The slits should be fairly close to each other and star out from the middle - no longer than an inch. Using the knife enlarge them a bit so that they don't accidentally close up. Finally sprinkle the crust with a tiny amount of sugar - will give it a lovely sparkly patina.
Put the pie in the oven and set a timer for 45 minutes. The pie may actually take 55 minutes but it's good to start checking at 45 minutes. And really you should also check it about 20-25 minutes to see if the crust edge is browning too fast. This will definitely happen if you're using a standard pie plate. Have a long length of tinfoil that you've made - about 2" wide and as long as the circumference of the pie plate. Take the pie out of the oven and using care not to burn yourself on the dish, cover the crust edge with the foil. Return the pie to the oven (close the oven door during this procedure so you don't lose all your oven heat).
Knowing when a pie is done is one of the keys to success. If you're using a standard plate, you will see dripping into the bottom of the oven. At first the drippings will be watery but after a time, they will be viscous. That's a sign of doneness. Pies cooked in the deep dish pans probably won't drip. The most important test of doneness (both the standard and deep dish) is taking the pie from the oven and inserting a sharp paring knife into the slits. Make several stabs and note whether the apples feel tender or if you encounter any crunchy resistance. If there's a crunch, then back in the oven for five minutes and then a re-test. You don't want crunchy underdoneness but you also don't want to overcook the pie and have the interior apple mush. The color of the crust has little bearing on doneness. Depending on your oven it may brown a little or a lot. I like using the convection setting on my oven - it swirls the heat around eliminating hot spots. You also cook it a bit cooler (400) and it can reduce the cooking time. Remember that cooking times vary - don't be a slave to the clock. Use the doneness tests I described. Finally, the pie should cool for a couple of hours before cutting into it to set it up.
Bon Appetit! Challenge today is making an apple pie!
Peace,
Sarah
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