MangiaMore: Silver Palate Sour Cream Apple Pie

RER 11.27.14

So, this Thanksgiving may or may not have been the first time I’ve made an apple pie. In fact, the first time I really made a fruit pie might have been this summer and the first time I have made dough for the crust was just this fall. It’s always fun to make new things and add recipes to the roster.

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We were having guests over for dessert on Thanksgiving, so of course that meant we had to go all out. We knew we were going to make the usual suspects: pecan pie, Aunt Lene’s Pound Cake, and Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake. But we needed more, something else. The four of us brainstormed for a week or more before the holiday, and finally Dad mentioned this delicious apple pie with walnuts and sour cream.

And that was it! We looked to Silver Palate for their Sour Cream Apple Pie, and it was a delicious experiment.

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First, we made the dough. A little butter, shortening, apple cider and food processor action, and voila! Pretty dough ready for a night in the fridge.

Then, it was all about the apples. We had a mix of green apples (which we peeled) and sweet Pink Lady apples. The filling is decadent with sour cream and sugar!

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Next, came the topping, which rests, between the sweet and tart filling and the fall infused latticework.  It’s brown and white sugar, a dose of cinnamon and meaty walnuts.

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With help from my expert sister, the homemade pie dough was rolled and beautiful. Filling and sprinkling was a breeze, but creating the lattice was fragile work, resulting in what we like to call a “rustic pie.”

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We had extra filling, so we decided to whip out the frozen store-bought pie dough and put it to use with another apple pie (sans walnuts). This time, we skipped the lattice and went a different route. Using a star-shaped cookie cutter, we cut out stars to top the pie, which made for a merry pattern fit for the holiday.

Finally, we got to taste the pies and they were scrumptious. The filling was not syrupy and saccharine, but stiff and flavorful with distinct textures. It was sweet, but not too sweet— an adult take on the fall favorite. A lovely addition to our Thanksgiving sweets spread!

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11.27.14

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re.CAP: THANKSGIVING

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Thanksgiving is over. Let that sink in for a minute. All that stress leading up to the family oriented holiday, all that anticipation of the turkey show-down, vanished. Those delicious eats that come around maybe once a year, gone. It’s over and it’s awful. The high has been a great ride and now it’s time for the crash. That holiday postpartum has set in and the blues is here.

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But you’re thankful. You’re thankful for another year and for your family and your friends and memories. Sure, devouring the sweet potato casserole crowned with toasted marshmallows brings you instant gratification, but what the holiday means lasts longer than that.

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This year has been difficult and there are more tangible things I am grateful for-- things that I can count on fingers and toes, things that are not so abstract and tenuous, maybe things that words can’t express. But I am counting my blessings, not marshmallows.

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12.1.14

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photo op: FIRE & OAK

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We went all out for our sister sister dinner at Fire & Oak in the Westin in Jersey City. Maybe we were celebrating, but mostly we were having a good time with each other. Dinner was almost secondary to our giggle fits and chatting, fueled by a giant bourbon smash and berry and elderflower martinis. The burrata was not as good as our conversation, and the hefty portions of short ribs and creamy crabmeat and shrimp pasta were dim compared to our smiles.  But the apple pie a la mode finale made the night complete, and filled bellies and hearts till bursting.

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Thanksgiving is almost here! Learn a little bit more about the pilgrims to impress your guests, or take advantage of Thanksgiving hacks and general tips to make the holiday a little easier. What are you doing for Thanksgiving? Making new traditions or sticking to old ones? Would love to hear from you!

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11.19.14