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Fools, Who Loves Pie??

Apple Pie

I don’t know about you but there are so many social media holidays, I can hardly keep one. One holiday I can get behind though is National Pie Day!

National Pie Day lets us enjoy one of our favorite desserts guilt-free. After all, we’re celebrating a national holiday!

While pie exists in some form all over the world, the United States has an inextricable relationship with the flaky dessert. From Don McLean’s epic song “American Pie” to expressions like “as American as apple pie,” our country embraces the pie — apple in particular — as a symbol of national pride.

So preheat your oven or visit your local bakery, grab a slice, and celebrate the simple, delicious pleasures of good pie.

Apple, Cherry, Blueberry, Pumpkin, gorge on all your favorite flavors of America’s favorite dessert on National Pie Day on January 23. Traditional fruit pies, savory pies, or creams pies used for comedy, no pie is left behind on this holiday!

It wouldn’t be a Tom Foolery’s blog if I didn’t give you the history of National Pie Day, right?

One of the oldest prepared foods, pie shows up in written recipes dating back as far as the ancient Romans. The first known pie recipe was for a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie. The Romans made pies with a variety of meats, seafood, and fruit, and developed a dense pie called placenta, similar to cheesecake. At sumptuous Roman feasts, pie played a role in several courses.

Until recently, pie crust was mostly used as a vehicle for filling. Unlike many of today’s luscious, buttery crusts, early pie crusts often didn’t get eaten at all. The crust acted as a container to keep the meat moist and prevent it from burning.

Pies first appeared in England in the 12th century, still mostly filled with meat. The dubious origin of some pie fillings gave rise to jokes and horror stories, including the penny dreadful that would become “Sweeney Todd.”

When the Puritans and other English settlers fled for the New World, they took pie with them. But although no American Thanksgiving table is complete without sweet pumpkin and pecan pies, sweet pies didn’t make an appearance at the so-called “First Thanksgiving” and pumpkin pie didn’t become popular until the 1800s. Today, sweet pies overwhelmingly outsell savory pies, and pumpkin pie is an enduring fixture of the Thanksgiving meal.

Not to be confused with National Pi Day, National Pie Day has nothing to do with math (thank God) and everything to do with that sweet American treat. Created in the 1970s by Charlie Papazian (who conveniently placed the day on his birthday), National Pie Day encourages us all to take a break with America’s favorite dessert.

Now that we know the history, let’s get our pie on. Today, we are going to make Apple Pie! Here is what you need:

Ingredients

Crust

1
box Pillsbury™ refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling*

6
cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (6 medium)
3/4
cup sugar
2
tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4
teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4
teaspoon salt
1/8
teaspoon ground nutmeg
1
tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 425°F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom.
  2. In large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge, pressing edges together to seal; flute. Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust.
  3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch wide strips of foil after first 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving.

Expert Tips

  • The flour tossed with the fresh apples turns their juices into a thickened, spiced sauce during baking. Mix it with the sugar and spices before tossing the mixture with the apples.
  • Two (21-oz.) cans more fruit apple pie filling can be used if you’re short on time.
  • Let the pie cool for at least 2 hours before cutting into it. The filling will thicken as it cools, making it easier to slice.
  • To make Caramel-Pecan Apple Pie: right after removing the pie from the oven, drizzle with 1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping. Sprinkle with 2 to 4 tablespoons chopped pecans.
  • To freeze Baked Pie: Assemble and bake pie as directed in recipe. Cool completely. Wrap pie tightly with plastic wrap. Place pie in a 2-gallon freezer storage bag; seal. Freeze up to 4 months. To reheat, thaw pie in refrigerator overnight. Remove bag and plastic wrap. Cover with foil, bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until warm.

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