J.B West - Upstairs at the White House and Apple Pie

Five Step Apple Pie

I recently read Upstairs at the White House, written by J.B West, a former butler who served at the White House during the presidencies of Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. (You can read the full review here). While there are a number of White House cookbooks and websites that provide information about the favourite meals of various Presidents, in honour of American Thanksgiving I decided to make a traditional all-American apple pie.

All that’s needed for the filling is 7 ingredients, and prep takes less than half an hour (depending on how fast you can peel the apples)

I used Mackintosh Apples for the filling but you can use almost any kind. You may want to add/use less sugar depending on the kind of apples. Fuji Apples tend to be sweeter while Cortland Apples are more tart and crisp.

Die-hard pie makers will often make their own crusts, but I did not have the time or space to make my own. There are tons of recipes for perfect piecrusts out there, but I cheated a used Pillsbury’s pre-cut, pre-rolled crust. It’s not as flaky as a homemade crust would be, but it bakes up nicely and goes well with the filling.

Remember to spear the crust to let the steam out.

Enjoy

Filling

4-5 Mackintosh apples, peeled and thinly diced.

1 cup Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flower

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon Salt

1.     Place the peeled apples into a large bowl and add lemon juice.

2.     Add sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg and coat well

3.     Pour filling into your pie curst (either homemade or store bought)

4.     Cover with remaining crust and spear top to let out steam

5.     Bake at 350 degree (F) oven for 45-50 minutes until top is golden brown.

Notes

Brush top with egg wash (beat together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk) to get an even crisper and golden top.