Christmas Special: Homemade Apple Pie

It is high time that this dessert featured on my blog and allow me to tell you why.

I was all of fifteen (or maybe sixteen....can't remember) when I developed a love for cooking. It wasn't as if anyone in particular influenced me. My mum never insisted that I help her in the kitchen nor did I volunteer 😛 Back then, I wasn't even what I would describe a foodie. I was a scrawny teen who swore by the philosophy "eat to live" (can't say the same now 😝). I used to be an exasperatingly fussy eater, enjoying only the limited spectrum food that appealed to my taste buds and not being adventurous at all when it came to trying new dishes. I didn't (still don't) have much of a sweet tooth. My only weaknesses in food & drink included soda (cola mainly), chocolate, cheese and fried food and those, I'll admit, still continue to be to this day.

During those years, I started watching various cookery shows which ignited the fire in me to explore the culinary world. My mum had plenty of cookbooks in her pantry so I began flipping through them. I was curious to know if I could make some of my favourite dishes on my own. As good a cook my mum is, baking is something she never did and so that was one area that piqued my interest in particular.

I remember quite clearly, almost like it was yesterday, some of the dishes I used to make all those years ago. Vegetable fried rice, potato rösti, potato kebabs, fried cheese balls, Chinese noodles, mug cake, fruit trifle and apple pie are some that come to mind off the top of my head.

Among all my mum's cookbooks was a Party Cookbook by noted Indian food writer Tarla Dalal. In that book was a simple recipe for homemade apple pie. It was one of the first desserts I ever attempted. 

Back then, I was a baking novice. I had absolutely no clue about pastry tips and techniques. I had no idea how the variety of apple would influence the final taste and texture of an apple pie. In my small sleepy hometown of Mysore, only one or maybe two varieties of apples were available in the local market and I'd just go pick up whatever I could get my hands on. Our kitchen had a medieval oven with a gas fuelled burner that had to be manually ignited (I was too afraid to do it so I'd ask my mum to). The temperature of our oven wasn't precise so I couldn't trust the settings and I didn't know about the existence of an oven thermometer so I'd just end up taking a gamble on the baking temperature and time. In my naïve mind, as long as the pastry was cooked and the complimentary flavours of apple and cinnamon married together, I had a winning dessert. 

Looking back, I realize that the apple filling I'd make used to turn out mushy every time and although the pastry was cooked through, it wasn't flaky like how it is supposed to be. But we didn't know any better so to us, it tasted delicious and elicited requests from family and friends to make often. It went on to become my signature dish and is the only dessert I so distinctly remember from my childhood. Every time I bite into an apple pie, no matter where I am in the world, it takes me on a trip down memory lane and that is the reason, this dessert holds a special place in my heart. 

An old-fashioned apple pie with a flaky buttery pastry crust and juicy apple filling perfumed with cinnamon is the perfect dessert. When apple pie is served warm topped with good quality vanilla bean ice-cream, it is the ultimate indulgence. I know that apple pie is popular during the fall and frequently graces the tables at Christmas but it really is an all-year dessert. Making an apple pie from scratch does take some time but trust me, it is a fun endeavour and time well spent. I would like to make apple pie "my thing" again hoping that it will be something my kids and future grandkids will remember me by 😊

Okay, so let's get down to business. When it comes to apples, to each their own. You will see hundreds of recipes floating around recommending a particular variety or varieties of apple for "the best apple pie" and it can all get very confusing. You may think that choosing the right apple for a pie is all about flavor, but there's another equally important element: pectin. Pectin is the biological glue that holds together plant cells, giving fruits and vegetables their shape and structure. When apples are cooked, this pectin breaks down, and the apples turn mushy. Pectin breakdown is inhibited by low pH levels (that is, it breaks down less when the environment is acidic). Thus, the tarter the apple, the more likely it is to hold its shape upon baking. That is why a lot of apple pie recipes you see out there would mention Granny Smiths or Royal Gala apples. But then again, tart apples hold up well during cooking but don't offer the best "apple-y" flavor. In contrast, sweet apples provide wonderful flavor but often turn to mush. Based on the availability, I'd suggest using a mixture of apples to strike the right balance between flavour, texture and fragrance. Varieties such as McIntosh, Cortland, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Granny Smith and HoneyCrisp generally seem to be good choices for apple pie.

I stuck to a classic apple pie recipe but modernised it with a lattice crust. I didn't add in a lot of spices because I wanted the apple flavor to shine through. Using a combination of sweet and tart apples made the filling perfectly balanced with the structure of the apples intact as opposed to a gooey mush. The husband likes the apple filling to have a hint of savoury flavour so I've included a little salt in it. This is purely a personal preference. I followed most of the pastry techniques so ended up with a nice and flaky pastry. All in all, it was a delicious dessert and it brought back so many fond memories.

I'm usually very generous with the desserts I make, reserving only a minuscule portion for myself and dividing the rest among my family, domestic helper, friends and sometimes even boss and colleagues. But this time, I kept a lion's share of the pie polishing off the whole thing in a record two days 😄 If only the adage 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' could be extended to include apple pie as well *sigh*

So that is why I said at the beginning of this post that it is high time to feature this recipe on the blog. And although I was aware of it at a subconscious level, I must thank one of my sister-in-laws for pointing out the lack of pie recipes on my blog and motivating me to change that. So, Ramya, this post is dedicated to you 😊 Hoping for more pie exploits in the new year.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays you guys XOXO

Book review: Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett

Since my last novel, I've taken way longer than I had anticipated to finish the next. I had so many things going on the past few weeks that I was unable to find the time to read at a stretch. I did it in short stabs stealing whatever spare time I could.  

After I devoured six books by Greg Iles back-to-back, the next author I set my sights on was Ken Follett. The Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels has sold more than 160 million copies of his works. Many of his books have achieved high ranking on best seller lists. I'll admit that I had never read any of his books before. But that has since changed (obviously) and I now have an entire collection on my Kindle that awaits.

Eye of the Needle was Follett's first successful, best-selling effort as a novelist, and it earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America

***Plot***

Contains spoilers

The premise of the novel is a fictionalized account of events preceding the most important military operation of World War II: the Battle of Normandy. As most history buffs are aware, the Western Allies of World War II launched the largest amphibious invasion in history when they assaulted Normandy, located on the northern coast of France, on 6 June 1944. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allied forces conducted a huge near-impossible deception operation, aimed at misleading the Germans with respect to the date and place of the invasion. The objective of 'Operation Fortitude' was to trick the enemy into preparing for an invasion via the Pas de Calais so that on D-Day, the Normandy assault would have the advantage of surprise. 

A big part of this covert operation were the spies that operated on both sides, Germany and Britain at the time. Under the watchful eye of Winston Churchill, The British were able to turn several German spies into double agents who would then feed falsified information to Hitler's camp. 

From this point in history onward, Eye of the Needle enters the realm of fiction. A single German spy working for the Nazi's known only as Die Nadel or 'The Needle' has the capacity to foil the entire ruse. Being the Führer's number one agent, Die Nadel has in his possession, photographic evidence to prove the presence of a massive dummy camp near Calais and he is on the move to deliver the damning information personally. The British intelligence MI5 who have recruited a network of 'spy catchers' consisting of soldiers, historians, scholars, barristers and the likes must come together to decipher cryptic codes, monitor suspicious activity and undertake spy catching missions in the interest of national security. Percival Godliman, a widowed history professor and Frederick Bloggs, a young inspector from Scotland Yard work around the clock in the manhunt for the evasive Die Nadel before it is too late. 

In a dramatic and unexpected twist to the plot, a young English woman's fate becomes entwined in the spy drama and she unwittingly finds herself a major determinant of the outcome of the war. Lucy, is a wife of an ex-trainee RAF pilot and mother of a three year old child, living in desolation on Storm island, off the east coast of Scotland. Her angst stemming from a loveless marriage to her paraplegic husband keeps her in an unceasingly woeful state of mind. One day, her life as she has known it is turned upside down. She has 48 hours to find the courage she has never known to be safeguard not only her child but also her country.

The outcome of the Battle of Normandy is written in history. But what is the fate of Die Nadel? What happens to Lucy and her family?

Read the book to find out...