Ma's Pie Crust (Or Apple Pie and the Jewish Immigrant)

One of the stupidest stock phrases has to be "Do something every day that scares you." I mean who wants to live like that and, furthermore, who has so many fears that they need to tackle one each day? Having said that, I do have a fear of piecrusts but, at the behest of my friend Hanna, I agreed to demonstrate apple pie making at next Sunday's Generation to Generation Festival at the Museum of Eldridge Street. Actually, I agreed to teach a cooking class that might have been led by a settlement house worker for new American immigrants, c. 1900. The apple pie was Hanna's suggestion.

But this isn't just any pie crust recipe -- it belonged to Hanna's grandmother Rebecca Simansky, a Lithuanian immigrant who baked old and new world recipes. Bubbie passed it on to her daughter Bessie Griff. As a child, Hanna recalls apple pie for breakfast at her bubbie's house in Portland, Maine, and her mother made a pie almost every week at her home in Waltham, Massachusetts. At some point, Bessie began substituting fruit juice for the water in the recipe, a tradition carried on by Hanna. This recipe is well traveled: Hanna has made it in France, Seattle, Indiana and New York.

I practiced Ma's Pie Crust last week. This is the simplest pie crust ever -- it's nearly foolproof and it tastes pretty darn good. It can also be made in five minutes. I have a lot of oil-based pie crust recipes in my vintage recipe collection, but was always afraid to try them because it didn't seem like they would work. (Hmm...another "fear" conquered!) It eliminates the work (and guesswork) of traditional pie crusts, in which cold fat is cut into butter by hand or machine with water added until it is "the right consistency."

A supervised five-year-old can make this. Start by mixing flour and salt in one bowl, and oil and orange juice in another. Whisk the liquid ingredients until creamy and pour into the dry ingredients.

Combine using a fork. I also used my gloved hands to mush it together.

Divide the dough in half, form a circle and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

Roll out the dough between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap.

I always put the pie plate on top of the dough to check for size.

While the dough is chilling, make the filling. I created a recipe (written below) based a number of old-time apple pie fillings, using flour as the thickener.  Peel about five large apples.

Slice about 1/4 inch thick.

Mix with flour and cinnamon.

Pour filling into the prepared pie crust.

Top with the other crust that you've rolled out. Crimp edges and puncture the top so that air can escape during baking.

Bake for about 40 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Enjoy!

Hanna's mother created the original written recipe by following her own mother as she baked, trying to get the measurements correct, as Bubbie never measured anything. Hanna's original recipe card is below. Notice the word "ensemble," which puzzled me until Hanna explained that she had written it en route to Nantes, France, to study. While there, she lived with a family whose little son was so taken with her apple pies that he begged her to open an American bakery!

Concerned I wouldn't be able to read the card, Hanna provided the following typed "translation," which I followed exactly except for baking the bottom crust first. I also divided the dough before chilling.

Ma's Pie Crust by Hanna 

Sift together:  2 c. flour 1 t. salt

Combine in measuring cup:  1/2 c.  oil, 5 T cold water (I use cold orange juice).  Beat with fork until creamy and pour all at once over flour mixture.  Toss and mix with fork.  Cover with wax paper and chill for 20 minutes.

Put dough in between 2 pieces of wax paper and roll out for piecrust.  Cook bottom crust for 10 minutes at 475.

Susan's Apple Pie*

For 8 inch pie

Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare pie crust 

4 large apples (about five cups sliced)

½ to ¾ c. sugar

Lemon juice

½ to 1 t. cinnamon (depending on preference)

½ c. flour (approximately. But enough to coat apples)

Core, peel and slice apples. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.

Add sugar (amount depends on sweetness of apples), flour and cinnamon.

Combine with apples until they are well coated.

Place in unbaked pie crust.

Cover with top crust, pinching sides.

With a fork, pierce the top crust in a few places.

Bake in preheated 375F oven for about 40 minutes.

Cool on rack.

*Pie filling is very forgiving.  You can make up your own, adding nutmeg, etc. or whatever.

Kreplach

A few months ago, I agreed to demonstrate kreplach making at the Museum at Eldridge Street's annual Egg Rolls, Egg Creams and Empanada Festival, which takes place next Sunday to celebrate the Lower East Side's delicious cultural diversity.

Having never made kreplach before, I thought I'd better practice at least once. (This reminds me of the joke about how medical residents learn new procedures: see one, do one, teach one.) But having made about a dozen apple strudels, which require -- as kreplach do -- rolling the dough nearly paper thin, I felt up to the challenge, even though I've never seen a kreplach being made.

Kreplach are often described as Jewish ravioli or tortellini. They are egg noodle dumplings filled with either a meat or dairy filling. I was asked to use a dairy filling, though the meat filling is more popular, as kreplach are often served in chicken soup.

They're not hard to make (but it did take me two attempts to get the dough right) and though the DH said they "look terrible," I thought they tasted pretty good.

I began with a recipe given to me by my friend Hanna (who works at Eldridge Street, and extended the demo invitation). It's from her mother's "bible," the Avodath  Sharon [Massachusetts] cookbook. I had only moderate success with the dough -- but the cheese filling recipe is divine and very easy.

To perfect the dough, I combined Hanna's recipe with one I found in Arthur Schwarz's Jewish Home Cooking, my bible for Ashkenazi recipes. The recipe is at the end -- but if you're in town, do stop by the festival to witness the demo!

Begin by making a well in the flour. Add two eggs and some water.

Beat the eggs and water together, and slowing begin incorporating the flour in to the the liquid.

It will look like this.

And then get shaggy like this, at which point it's time to use your hands to blend it all together. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic.

Let the dough sit covered for about 30 minutes to relax the gluten. Then begin to roll it out.

And keep rolling until it gets very, very thin.

Cut into 3-inch squares, using a knife or a metal bench scraper (which worked much better). Put a small amount -- a teaspoon or less -- of filling in the center of each square.

Using your fingertip, wet the edges with water, and fold the dough from point to point to create a triangle.

Let the dumplings sit for about ten minutes, while you get a pot of water to come to the boil.

Add a very liberal amount of salt to the water, let it reach a boil again and carefully add the kreplach to the pot. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes.

Kreplach Recipe

Dough:
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 T. warm water

Put flour in a large bowl and make a well. Break two eggs in the center, and add the water. The actual amount of water needed will vary slightly, depending on the humidity, etc.
With a fork, blend the liquid portion together and then slowly being incorporating the flour until the dough gets shaggy.  Use your hands to finish the job. Then knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth and elastic.
Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes, while you make the filling.

Cheese filling:
1/4 lb. room temperature cream cheese
1/2 lb. cottage cheese
4 T.melted butter

Place ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. (Best accomplished with an electric hand mixer.)

Divide the dough in half. Working with one half (while the other remains covered), roll out on a floured surface until very thin.  Cut into 3 inch squares. Working quickly, place a scant teaspoon of filling in the center of each square. With your fingertip. wet the edges of each square and fold over, to make a triangle. Seal the edges very well.

Let dumplings sit for ten minutes before boiling in salted water for about 10 to 15 minutes.