Recipe Box: Awestruck by Apples

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I have been truly awestruck just a few times in my life … and only once by a pie crust. But more about that shortly …

Apples turn up in all sorts of recipes from Lake Superior’s orchard country, and not always in desserts. An example is the chili recipe from two Bayfield-area women - Betty Swiston and Laura Swiston. It is a mild tummy-warmer for those who like chili less spicy.

Ask an orchard aficionado in Bayfield to name her favorite variety of apple, and the response likely will be: “What are you making?”

Wealthy apples make great fritters and jellies; use Duchess for applesauce or pies. Try Beacons for fruit salads. The varieties are many- Spartan, Northwestern, Melba, Milton, Ida Red, Red or Golden Delicious, to name a few. Of course I can’t pass up a McIntosh or Cortland. (The sweet Honeycrisp is Minnesota born.)

Better to taste a couple and make up your own mind.

It’s easy to decide my favorite apple pie crust, though. It was in a homey kitchen in Bayfield where I watched a sweet lady, the late Wava Ferraro at Apple Hill Orchard, create a pie crust so thin and delicate that you could actually see through it.

But when it came out of the oven a perfect golden brown, that crust held a heaping helping of steamy apple pie filling effortlessly, without falling apart. Biting into a slice, the crust melted like gossamer. It was a modern miracle. It was awe-inspiring. I have never been able to recreate it … but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped trying. (I’m going to give you the recipe, so you can try, too.)

For my family, late September or early October is the annual pilgrimage to our favorite orchard with the miraculous pies. We embrace the drill. Every year we pull up to the garage at the orchard and grab our box. The kids make a beeline for the playhouse, the family dog giving chase. I confirm my pie order before we drive down the path. (I don’t want anyone else grabbing my pie.) Usually we’ll run into Wava’s son, Bill Ferraro, who will take a few minutes to smoke his pipe and visit. (His wife, Claudia, can help with the secrets of Wava’s pie crust because she inherited the recipe and the skill.) It’s then that our kids get their refresher on the one unbreakable rule in Bill’s orchard: “Twist, Don’t Pull.”

Amazingly, the kids don’t bicker in the orchard. They work - happily. We walk around and see what else Bill has planted. We have a bushelful of magical family times in that orchard. Before you know it the box is full. We drive away with our apples, working our way through caramel apples, ready to tour a couple of other favorite orchards before driving home sticky and satisfied with the cinnamon smell of pie permeating the car.

Last year that big box of apples didn’t feel so big. My 6-foot son did away with many of them while grazing. Maybe this year we’ll pick two boxes … so I get a chance to make some other favorites and to try to perfect Wava’s apple pie!

Swistons’ Apple Chili

  • 2 cans (12 oz. each) kidney or chili beans
  • 1 can (12 oz.) whole tomatoes (or diced)
  • 1 can (8 oz.) tomato paste
  • 2 cans (11 oz. each) tomato soup
  • 1 c. milk
  • 2 lbs. hamburger
  • 1 small sweet onion (your choice)
  • 2 Cortland apples (Cortlands are tender, juicy, good keepers - an all-purpose variety)
  • Chili powder to taste
  • Cumin (optional)

Combine kidney beans, tomato paste, tomato soup and milk in a large pot. Cook over medium heat. Crush the whole tomatoes and add to the pot. Brown the hamburger and onion and add to pot. Core and dice the apples then add these. Season to taste with chili powder and cumin. Cook on medium heat for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. Top with sour cream, shredded cheese and crushed crackers.

Wava’s Prize-Winning Apple Pie

Crust:

  • 1-1/2 c. flour
  • 1/2 c. lard (or same amount of vegetable shortening)
  • A pinch of salt
  • Ice cold water
  • (2 to 3 Tablespoons to hold)

Combine the ingredients to make the dough. Separate into two parts to make the top and bottom crusts for a 9-inch pie plate.

Filling:

  • Crushed cornflakes (Wava used a “handful” - about 1/4 cup)
  • 6 c. apples, cored, peeled and sliced (Wava used any apple her son had from the orchards, but see the list of sweeter and more tart apples, then choose to taste)
  • 3/4 to 1 c. sugar (for sweeter apples, use less sugar) cinnamon
  • salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Crush the cornflakes and place on the crust. Then put in the apples. Add 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar, depending on the sweetness of the apples (taste them). Add a pinch of salt. Add enough cinnamon to cover the sugar. Sprinkle on the vanilla. Place the remaining crust on top and press down so it is flush with the apples. Seal the edges and cut vents. Bake at 350° F for 45 minutes or until done.