October 25, 2019 – English Apple Pie - recipe

         When my brother was here visiting, he did the most extraordinary thing, he slipped two or three cookbooks out of my dining room library shelf and flipped through them knowing they were cookbooks from home, the ones Mom used to donate recipes to.  It didn’t take him long to find neighbor’s names, Mom’s name, both of our Grandmother’s names as well as my name.

         It was a memory-lane moment for him reading out the names and revisiting in his mind the taste of old recipes that filled our childhood. 

         He said, “When you’ve a chance, copy out . . . .”

         Now that they all reside in one place, I was surprised how many cookbooks my Mom had asked me for recipes to submit. Later when the cookbook was published, she’d send me a copy for my shelf. 

         So, when you ever ask a writer if she is published and she cooks – you might get, “Sure, if a recipe in a cookbook counts.”

         We went up to Hendersonville, North Carolina – apple country and stopped at one of those sheds with the huge wooden crates of apples out front.  I’m usually roped into having to buy a whole bag of one kind, but as I have grown older and more savvy in buying that day I asked the owner,

         “Can, I just pick out a few of each variety and fill a bag that way?”

         I was more than surprised when she answered,

          “Why of course,” and she snapped open a bag and handed it to me. 

         So, in less than 10 years, merchandizing has changed in apple country to cater to the customer instead of forcing the customer to buy a full bag of each variety.  I was like a little kid who picked two of this kind, two of that kind, two of another kind, until I filled my bag and paid for it with delight.

         The objective of the apple purchase was to make my favorite pie – English Apple Pie.  But, running out of time and energy, I didn’t happen to accomplish it while Ken was visiting. It is a recipe I found – has to be over 25 years ago in a magazine.  I researched it just now and it comes from Page 120 of the Woman’s Day magazine dated 2/5/1985 – Silver Spoon Award – and I believe the person who submitted it was Mrs. Fairy Hoellerich. 

         So, my memory of over 25 years is more like 34 years.  I can only say – Thank you Mrs. Fairy Hoellerich, it has brightened my beautiful fall days over many, many years.

         Why do I go out of my way to tell you the origin of the recipe?  Well, I made the recipe a few days ago and divided it between two casserole dishes with the intention of giving one away to a friend that doesn’t “bake” much. It is better for my household as I am on a diet and my husband is diabetic and can’t have but a taste.  I also gave my friend a copy of the recipe that I had submitted many times in several cookbooks and she asked,

         “Did you make this recipe, I mean create it?”

         That startled me and set me back a moment.  Is there some rule that you can’t put a favorite recipe in a cookbook that your church produces that you didn’t create, but that you use often and endorse it’s deliciousness.

         I was honest, “No, don’t you have recipes you cut out of magazines when you were first cooking that you’ve used for years?  I got this out of a magazine over 25 years ago.”

         So, that is my ethical question about recipes.  How long do they stay under some sort of copy write?  If one changes only one ingredient, is it now your creation?

         How would community or church cookbooks even begin to be the best fund raisers in the world if you couldn’t donate your favorite recipes that you have clipped out of magazines, or ancient cookbooks, or have been handed down through your family if that is true?

I will leave that answer up to you,

and without further ado as they say in the theater:

ENGLISH APPLE PIE

believe from Woman’s Day

Silver Spoon Award

2/5/1985

Submitted by

Mrs. Fairy Hoellerich

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon - divided

3 tablespoons water

1/2 cup chopped pecans

4 large cooking apples, peeled and sliced – about 6 cups

1/2 cup granulated sugar

         In a medium sized bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. [I use an electric mixer.] Stir in flour, 1 tsp cinnamon and the water until smooth and thick.  Fold in the pecans.  Mound apples in a 9-inch pie plate.  Mix 1 tsp cinnamon into the granulated sugar and sprinkle over apples.  Spoon pecan topping over apples in dollops.  Bake on lowest rack in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes until apples are tender when pierced with a knife.  Serve in bowls.  Best when served warm.

 Enjoy 