NATIONAL APPLE PIE DAY

National Apple Pie Day, America’s favorite dessert, is observed annually on May 13th.

The first apple pie recipe printed was in England in 1381. The list of ingredients included good apples, good spices, figs, raisins, pears, saffron, and cofyn (a type of pastry crust).

While the apple pie existed well before the Pilgrims landed on the eastern shores of what is now The United States, Americans wax poetic about how American apple pie is. The phrase "as American as apple pie" has been around for more than 100 years.

During the turn of the 20th century when whole toasted cereals were becoming the 'health food' fad, pie gained a bad reputation. Apple pie saved the day of sorts, being more nutritious than other pies according to some.

Teddy Roosevelt was impressed to have a taste of home when he was served an American apple pie while traveling in Africa.

Soldiers during World War II were often quoted they were fighting "for Mom and apple pie." In 1970, advertisers used the patriotic connection with a commercial jingle "Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet."

Share your favorite apple pie recipes. Another way to celebrate is by giving a shout-out to your favorite apple pie baker. If you're up for a baking session, enjoy this recipe called Perfect Apple Pie

https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/perfect-apple-pie/1fc2b60f-0a4f-441e-ad93-8bbd00fe5334

Within our research, we were unable to find the creator of National Apple Pie Day. However, it is interesting to note, it is the second pie holiday in May. Your next opportunity to celebrate pie won't come again until June 9th on National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day.

The United States prints the first airmail stamps. The 24 cent stamps featured a picture of a Curtiss JN-4 bi-plane and ushered in the inaugural day of airmail service on May 15, 1918, between Washington, Philadelphia and New York.

In an exhibition match touted as the "Battle of the Sexes," Bobby Riggs and Margaret Court squared off. Court lost the charitable event 6-1, 6-2. However, Riggs had previously challenged Billy Jean King to a Battle of the Sexes, and he repeated the challenge. The pair's showdown took place on September 20, 1973. This time, King brought home the win, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Alison Hargreaves reaches the summit of Everest. The 33-year-old from the United Kingdom was the first woman to climb the highest mountain in the world without the assistance of oxygen or Sherpas. Several months later in August, she and her team would scale K2 but never leave the mountain top due to a freak storm. She died on August 13, 1995.

In 1936, Danish seismologist and geophysicist published a paper describing her discovery that Earth has a solid inner core. Throughout her career, she would continue to expand upon her research.

The jazz musician and composer is best known for his influence of modern jazz styles including cool jazz, modal jazz, free jazz, and jazz fusion.

Joe Louis dominated the boxing ring and earned his first heavyweight crown in 1937 when he knocked out James J. Braddock in the eighth round.

The award-winning musician began his career at the young age of 11. He became a Motown legend, performing R&B, gospel, funk, jazz, and soul music for six decades.

My dad loved two desserts more than anything, strawberry shortcake and apple pie. He also wanted them when he was in the mood, which was pretty frequently. Consequently, mom, and then my sisters and I, all learned to make those fairly quickly.

Apple pie takes about an hour to bake, so all he had to do was tell us in the late afternoon that he wanted apple pie for dessert, and it was ready and served after dinner.

I have never entered a state fair contest, but sometimes I think I should. I have been told I make some of the best apple pie. The crust is near perfection. If you have the option, use three different kinds of apples: one tart kind, one sweet kind, and any other kind.

I know some people use only Granny Smith apples in their pies, but that’s not my cup of tea. I think my best pie had Johnagolds, Cameos, and I think a Cortland, but I don’t quite remember. Just use a few different kinds depending on what’s available. It’ll make the tastiest pie!

French Cinnamon Apple Tart / for the francophiles among us
So simple but so delicious...sweet pastry crust with a wonderfully crisp texture and sweet buttery flavor. Add thick layer of apple slices drenched in buttery-sugary-cinnamony sauce. Awesome at the end of a good dinner, or with a warm cup of tea.

INGREDIENTS---The crust 1-1/2 cups flour, spooned and leveled 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup conf/sugar 1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1/4 cup cold water
The apples 3 – 4 baking apples 2 tablespoons brown sugar, or to taste 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon apricot jelly, to glaze

DIRECTIONS Make crust: Line a baking sheet or tray with parchment paper. Processor/combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add the cold butter and pulse quickly until the butter gets a coarse-grainy texture, about 5 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture and pulse until just moistened and very crumbly, about 5 seconds. You might pulse by increment until you get the proper texture. Remove to a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times with your hands until the dough comes together into a ball. Flatten the dough into a thick disk. Flour your work surface again and dust the disc of dough with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle 8 to 10 inches in diameter. You can sprinkle more flour as you go to prevent the dough from sticking. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Prepare the apples: Peel, core, and cut the apples in half. With a sharp knife, cut thin slices across, maintaining the slices together to keep the halved apple’s shape. You can brush the apples with lemon juice to keep them from browning. Add to bowl of sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, melted butter, and the pinch of salt; toss to combine and set aside.

Assemble: Finish rolling dough directly on the parchment paper, into 11 or 12" circle about 1/8 inch thick. Place the parchment and dough back on the baking sheet (the pastry may cover the baking sheet). Put a round 10-inch tart pan over the pasty and, holding firmly, return the whole thing to transfer the pastry to the tart pan, discarding the parchment paper. Cut the excess dough from the edge if necessary. Fork/Prick the pastry and arrange the apple slices on top, keeping their halved apple shape. Brush the apple slices with the mixture of cinnamon, butter, vanilla, and sugar, making sure to brush in between the slices as much as you can. Sprinkle more cinnamon and sugar on top of apples if you like, and chill the assembled tart in your refrigerator 15-20 min.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F and set the rack in the middle position. Bake 55-65 minutes, apples are tender, crust is golden and cooked through. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let cool down. Glaze: In a small bowl, mix the apricot jam with 1-1/2 teaspoons water. Using a pastry brush, brush the apples with the mixture.

Serve at room temp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

TIPS Do not overwork dough: the secret to a perfect crispy-fluffy crust is to mix and gather the dough just until it holds on its own. Do not knead excessively. You can soak the apples in a mix of water and lemon juice to prevent them from oxidizing while cutting the slices and arranging the filling. TO DO AHEAD dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator. Serve after sitting at room temperature for about 15 min----best enjoyed the same day----leftovers will keep 2 or 3 days, loosely covered on countertop. Avoid storing in the refridge---bottom crust might get soggy after a while.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.