Many cultures have embraced the apple pie and put their own spin on it, so why is it known as the quintessential American dessert. German immigrants brought over the modern hamburger and Italians were the first to combine cheese with macaroni. Apple pie—a dish that commonly follows the words ‘American as’ —has a reputation for being one of the rare dishes the country can fully claim. But as it turns out, the history of the iconic American dessert isn’t so simple.
The phrase ‘as American as apple pie’ emerged in the early 20th century. It gained widespread popularity during World War II, when soldiers were asked what they were fighting for. The response often included apple pie, alongside other symbols of American life like mom and baseball. This association cemented apple pie’s status as a quintessential American food.
For some cooks, grated apple pie was a practical alternative to the traditional sliced version. Grating or shredding the apples creates a pie with a tender, uniform, and almost custard-like filling, unlike the chunkier texture of a standard pie. Shredding the fruit reduces the cooking time required to soften the apples, which was an advantage for home bakers. As shown in some historic recipes, eggs and melted butter were often mixed into the grated apples, creating a richer filling.
This pie reminds me of an experience I had that seems quite comical when I think of it now. Before I had ever studied in the commercial food industry or made any number of pies, a friend gave me a recipe for a ‘Swiss’ apple pie. Her instructions were to place the shredded apple in a pastry lined pie pan. Next, pour vanilla pudding over the apples and bake. It sounded great! I purchased a box of Jell-O brand vanilla pudding & pie filling, made a crust and filled it with shredded apples. I assumed you were supposed to cook the pudding before covering the apples with it for some reason. Wrong!! What resulted was apples baked in a pastry shell with a ‘rubber top’. I guess we all have to start somewhere, right?!
Today, I wanted to revisit the grated apple pie idea being fall with all the wonderful apples that are in season right now.
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- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 167 gm (2/3 cup) cold unsalted butter, diced small
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp white vinegar
- 2 Tbsp ice cold water
- 4 cups (600 gm) about 5 medium apples, peeled & grated
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 2 tsp pure vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream/whipping cream
- 1-2 tsp sea salt OR to taste
- 2 Tbsp butter,
Ingredients
Pastry
Apple Filling
Salted Caramel Sauce
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- Sift flour, sugar & baking powder into a bowl. Add salt & rub butter into flour with fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, vinegar & water. Sprinkle the egg/water mixture over the flour mixture & combine ONLY until dough comes together. DO NOT OVERMIX. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap & refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Grate apples & combine with lemon juice.
- Line a 9-inch pie plate with chilled pastry. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt. Sprinkle 3 Tbsp evenly in the bottom of the crust & set the rest aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the remaining sugar mixture & beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla & eggs. Beat until mixed well & the mixture turns lighter. Stir in the apples.
- Pour the filling mixture into the crust & spread out evenly. Place a pie ring or one made out of aluminum foil around the edges of the crust.
- Bake at 450 F. for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 F. & bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. If the crust is not brown enough, remove the pie ring for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time.
- Place the sugar & water into a large heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook, stirring, over a low heat until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat & bring to a boil for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you get a deep amber color.
- Remove from heat & immediately add the heavy cream & stir. Be careful as it will bubble up quite a lot. Once the caramel has dissolved into the cream, add the butter & salt. Place in a small blender & blend for a few seconds until mixture comes together nicely. Place into a small container & cool.
- Once pie is at room temperature, brush or drizzle sauce over the apple filling. Chill further & serve.
The purpose of putting some of the sugar mixture into the bottom of the pie crust is to absorb some of the liquid that forms when sugar & fruit are mixed together.
If the apples produce a lot of juice, drain them BEFORE adding them to the batter. If you pour off the juice after adding the apples to the batter, you will lose a lot of the spice flavor.
Using a deep dish will help avoid it from running over in the oven.