Since it’s still September I scoured my collection looking for other September issues and, surprisingly, only found one.  So I actually do throw out some…

Now, I never use Crisco, but I have heard that it does make the best pie crust… so putting aside the fact that it is made from partially hydrogenated oil; and everything we’ve learned about harmful trans fats (ignorance was bliss in 1999); I tackled the job of peeling all those apples.  This didn’t take as long as I thought it would – only about 10 minutes; coring and slicing them took a little longer.




I bet that you did not know that Crisco came out in 1911 and that early sales were largely  generated by Orthodox Jews.  The recipe for Five-Spice Apple Pie begins with this anecdote:


“By the time Crisco came out in 1911, apple pies had long been an American classic. But Crisco, the first hydrogenated vegetable shortening, gave cooks a boost.  Here was a shelf-stable alternative to perishable butter and lard. While a lot of consumers were skeptical of Crisco, many early sales were generated by Orthodox Jews,who bought the shortening after a recipe booklet was published in Yiddish showing how Crisco could be used without breaking kosher dietary laws.  Crisco’s success was assured when rationing made lard scarce during World War I.”   Bon Appetit, September, 1999

Position rack in lowest third of oven. Preheat to 375°. Place baking sheet on rack. Roll out larger dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-Inch glass pie dish; trim overhang to 1 inch, if necessary. Spoon filling into crust. Roll out smaller dough disk to 10-inch round, drape over filling. Press top and bottom edges of dough together, crimp decoratively (there’s a technique to this, but I don’t know it). Brush crust with cream and sprinkle with sugar.

Place pie on baking sheet in oven; bake until crust is golden brown and filling bubbles thickly, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.


What I learned from this experience:


If I am going to bake more pies, I need to have a pastry blender so I don’t need to use two knives and a peeler with a more comfortable handle (see wish list); and homemade apple pie is the best, so much better than Mrs. Smiths!