Mother’s Day, Memories and Apple Pie

Lovingly connecting mothers and apple pie is part of American culture. A popular theory is that it started with World War II soldiers who said it’s what they missed most from home, or what they were fighting for.

In honor of Mother’s Day, Salvatorian Sisters share memories of their moms along with a few recipes.

• “My mom never made a pie… but when she had passed her driver’s test at about age 42 years, she got all three of us girls into the car and drove out to Mukwonago, and bought us an Apple-Pie-in-a-Bag at the Elegant Farmer. It was a delicious surprise and smelled so good in the car as we drove back to Milwaukee!” -Sr. Karlyn Cauley, SDS
• “Mom very seldom made apple pie but she made an absolutely fantabulous chocolate pie every time I came home to visit.” Sr. Liz Christensen, SDS
• “My mother was a superb pie baker; she won several blue ribbons for her pies. Sorry, while I have and use several of her recipes for other things, I do not have her apple pie recipe. She made her crust from memory and that is pretty much how she baked her pies. They were outstanding.” -Sr. Virginia Honish, SDS
• “All my special cooking and baking was learned from my Mother. I have fond memories of her always making things from scratch rather than any boxed food. She made homemade pies including her own pie crust. To this day, I too make all my things from scratch and even my own pie crust. I am very grateful for my Mother who taught me much by her loving example and encouragement.” -Sr. Jenada Fanetti, SDS
• “Regretfully, Mom didn’t use a written recipe.  She made a wonderful pie crust using yellow Crisco and filled it with sliced Macintosh apples mixed with some sugar and cinnamon.  Then she topped it with dabs of butter.  It was delicious!” -Sr. Beverly Heitke, SDS

And then finally two recipes. Choose your favorite as you pray with us for all mothers on their special day.

Mom’s Apple Cream Pie
from Sr. Marion Etzel, SDS

¾ cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten
1/8 tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla
3 cups sliced apples

Combine sugar and flour, add cream, egg, salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth.  Add apples and mix thoroughly. Pour into unbaked shell and bake in a 450-degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and add the following topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup flour
¼ cup butter

Sprinkle this mixture over the pie and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

Mom’s French Apple Pie
from Sr. Janice Hartman, SDS

Filling for 9-inch pie
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour  (omit salt if self-rising)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of salt
6 cups 1/2 inch sliced pared tart apples (about 6 medium)
raisins 1/2 to 1 cup (sorry, never measured it – just eyed it)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Stir in apples and raisins. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate; dot with butter.

Pastry for 9-inch, 2-crust pie
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons of Crisco Shortening (I share this pie with others so I’m not getting THAT much cholesterol!)
2 cups all-purpose flour (omit salt if self-rising)
1 teaspoon salt
4-5  tablespoons cold water

Cut Crisco into flour and salt, till it’s the size of small peas. Sprinkle in cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork till all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl. Add 1-2 teaspoons more cold water if necessary.

Divide pastry in half and gather into 2 balls; shape into flattened rounds on lightly floured cloth-covered board. For bottom shell: roll pastry 2 inches larger than inverted pie plate with well floured rolling pin. Fold pastry into quarters; ease into pie plate and unfold, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Turn pie filling into pastry lined pie plate. Roll second round of pastry. Fold into quarters; cut slits so steam can escape. Place over filling and unfold. Trim edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal. Flute with fork or with thumb and index fingers.  To prevent excessive browning, cover edge with 3-inch strip of aluminum foil; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake at 425 degrees, for 40-50 minutes until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.  Oven temperatures vary, so keep an eye on it.

Remove from oven and while still warm, drizzle Creamy Glaze over top.

Fast Powdered Sugar Glaze
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Milk – up to 1 tablespoon

Mix powdered sugar and vanilla. Add milk 1 teaspoon at a time, till mixture reaches drizzling consistency. Makes 1/2 cup to drizzle over top of pie.