"But I, when I undress me Each night, upon my knees Will ask the Lord to bless me With apple-pie and cheese." Eugene Field, ‘Apple-Pie and Cheese’
No cheese here, but oh!... The sweet juicy red apples... The inspiration!
I'm not as big of a fan of apples as my Mom is. She loves apples any shape and form. I remember since the early days of my childhood - her eating apples. Maybe that's the association for me - I see apples and I think of my Mom and home.
And this time the dessert was made at home, when I was over to visit my parents - an accompanying dessert to the bream with the infamous celery puree.
Looking at and tasting all of the apples pies out there - there are so many ways to make them that I was even wondering if this is anywhere even close to the traditional apple pie. Depends on the continent you're on or even the country. Let's call it the Lithuanian version of the pie. Recipe inspired by my Grandma's pie.
Ingredients (serves 4-6):
* 4 medium apples
* 4 eggs
* 4 tablespoons of sugar
* 4 tablespoons of flour
* 1 teaspoon of baking powder
* 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
* 1 extra teaspoon of sugar for the apples and 4 teaspoons of sugar for the whipped cream
* 150 ml (3/4 cup) of heavy cream
* a few pinches of thyme (preferably fresh - a few sprigs)
* 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
This recipe is so easy to memorize and to bake. The number of eggs is matched with the number of tablespoons of sugar and flour.
Seed the apples and cut them into 1cm/ 1/2 in dice. Sprinkle that extra teaspoon of sugar and the cinnamon and flip them until coated.
First beat the eggs, then add the sugar and beat until the sugar dissolves. Add the flour and beat till you reach creamy consistency. Beat in the baking powder.
Fold in the apples and bake in 180 degrees in the oven. Baking time - 25-30 minutes depending on the size of the pan and the thickness of the pie.
While the pie is baking - make the whipped cream. Beat until it gets fluffier, add the sugar, beat a little bit more and add the fresh lemon juice. Be careful not to overdo the cream - before it starts getting into chunks.
Test the pie with a toothpick - it's done when the toothpick comes out clean. Get it out of the oven, let it sit out to cool down a little. Serve warm, with the whipped cream (can be substituted with vanilla ice cream) on the side, sprinkled with a bit of cinnamon and thyme.
Bon appetit!
