Apple pie and heirloom okra
Thursday, July 28, 2011 Pleasant outcomes often take circuitous routes before arriving. Last Saturday I had a morning full of music, fresh-baked breads and heirloom okra, but only because I was willing to get up at the crack of dawn and drive to Statham, Ga., to hang with my husband while he and his folk-rock band, Henry Porter, made a few musical waves at the Statham Farmers Market.
Henry Porter's folk trio: (L to R) Lawton Gafford, Andy Tegethoff and Michael Goldman.
The weather was gorgeous, and it didn’t even get hot until about 10 a.m. While the boys dug into the meat of some old standbys like “Froggy Went A’ Courtin,” I shopped the stands and bought everything from apples to heirloom okra (the latter from Jess Warner, a young heirloom farmer who sells rarified tomatoes, pole beans, squash, okra and eggs, among others).
Our friend Christy Beyer, who sells freshly baked goodies (including outrageously good sweet cheese rolls) every Saturday from her home bakery, Baked.
I walked the town, full of picturesque old homes with porches rocking-chair deep and a main street, just next to the railroad tracks, that is lined with antique stores, where I purchased an antique lunch pail for about $20. At home, I promptly filled it with the fresh flowers I had bought at the market, too.
The apples were for a pie I was making for my brother-in-law’s birthday. He grew up in southern Illinois, and wanted a pie reminiscent of his mom’s – nothing fancy: apples, sugar and cinnamon, with a little flour for thickening (and butter). I’ve shared my recipe, below.
The market was well worth the drive if you take a notion to go on a little Saturday morning jaunt. It’s from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. every Saturday morning.
Apple Pie
Yield: One nine-inch pie
The only thing time consuming about making apple pie is peeling the apples. Be sure to place them in water that’s been laced with a little lemon juice to ensure that once peeled, they don’t oxidize and turn brown. Keep them in the water until you are ready to measure them for the pie filling, then strain.
Pie pastry, enough for a double crust
6 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup granulated sugar
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
Egg wash:
1 egg
Milk or water
Pinch of salt
In a small bowl or cup, whisk together the egg, milk or water and salt until light. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Prepare the pie crust and keep cold until ready to use.
In a large bowl, mix together the apples and sugar and stir until the sugar begins to dissolve and a juice starts to form. Sprinkle the flour over the apple mixture and fold in until incorporated. Fold in the cinnamon.
Roll out the pie dough to fit the bottom of a nine-inch pie pan; fill with the apple filling. Dot the surface of the filling with the butter. Using a pastry brush, brush the sides of the pastry with a little of the egg wash. Roll out the remaining dough and cover the pie filling, pressing the sides to seal. Turn the dough under around the rim, then create a flute using your thumb between two fingers. Brush the entire top crust with the egg wash (sprinkle with a little sugar, if desired), then cut a few air vents into the surface.
Bake the pie at 425 degrees until the crust begins to slightly brown, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until golden brown – about 25 to 30 minutes.
Apple pie, Farmers Markets, Henry Porter in Cook Like A Chef, Going Green, Pie, Recipes 
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