Monday, November 9, 2009

As American As...

There is a simple equation that I have concerning Fall.

It goes like this.

Fall = Chilly.

Thus: Chilly + Leaves Falling = Beautiful / (Boots + Sweaters)

SO BASICALLY (in case my mad math skillz got you confused)…

Fall = Chilly = Beautiful = Samantha Busts Out Warm Things


Here is my list of current comfy things that I’ve loved reintroducing myself to again after months away:

A green knit blanket my Mama made eons ago
Fuzzy Socks
Saturday Morning Coffee
Wellie Boots
Scarves
Red wine
Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Cauliflower
PIE.

From new year, new food


Oh, Pie…Doesn’t it just sound great? Short, but sweet and to the point, Pie doesn’t get all fancy with multiple whipped creams and special flours like cakes do. No, sirree bob. Pie is homey. Pie makes you want to wrap your arms around it and hug it back, ‘cause that’s basically what it does: hugs you from the inside out.

You know, if Marie Antoinette had instead opted for saying, “Let them eat PIE!” people wouldn’t have gotten so miffed. Like I said, cake is kind of prissy, and the French took that whole cake-reference pretty badly when she brought it up. But let’s think what would have happened if she had gone with PIE instead? I think the peasantry would have been like “Huh. You’re right… I got a few old apples and a cup of flour lying around… Pie is good. We can do Pie. Thanks for the tip, Marie!” and a whole load of trouble could have been avoided.

From new year, new food


If you had trouble following where I was going here, I just want to let you know that I’ve baked a couple of pies in the last few weeks, both of which were awesome, both of which used apples, but for now I’m going to focus on the one I just baked, Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust, because I’m pretty sure this isn’t a common type of apple pie, and HELLO it introduced me in a roundabout way to an apparently very American tradition that I was out of the loop on: a slice of apple pie with a crumbly hunk of cheddar cheese.

*Side note: So...I guess people all over the country eat this? I don’t get it, so someone, at some point, will have to show me how to do this. What do you do? Grate some on top? Put a slice on the side? Is the pie hot or cold? I get apples and cheese, but I honestly would very much like to have someone explain to me how this works, and I will gladly follow because I’m uber curious how that hot mess would taste. End note*

From new year, new food


Gourmet (may you R.I.P., dear magazine) had a great article in their amazing September issue about Apple Pie with a Cheddar Crust, a clever take on this tradition. Kari baked one last week and added cloves to hers, so when Vanessa came over after a long day at work last week, we figured some cinnamon and nutmeg wouldn’t hurt, and neither would a small decrease in the sugar, and everything STILL worked out swimmingly! I have half of a pie sitting in my fridge which I spontaneously eat for either breakfast, tea time, or dessert, all of which are good pie-eating times. Especially when that day is Saturday and you have all the pie-eating time in the world.

From new year, new food


The crust was on the crispy-buttery side and reminded me of the flavor of a good cheese cracker while the apples were bright, tangy, and perfectly balanced in their sweetness. In short, it is a lovely, warm, comforting and completely Fall-y type of pie that would be a sweet addition to the marathon of all of my favorite comfort foods in one sitting: THANKSGIVING!!!


If anything, next time I’ll just add more cheese because this time I had cut off a big hunk for lunch earlier in the day and deprived my new pie of even more cheese-awesomeness in the crust.

Dear Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust: please don’t be mad, I won’t let you down again… it’s just that I really love sharp cheddar and couldn’t help myself from stealing a bit from you. Uh… I’ll try not to do it again. Toodles.

3 comments:

Jenna Kozel said...

Dear Samantha, When may I be invited over for dinner :)

Unknown said...

Samantha. Cheese on/in the crust? Seriously.
That's out of hand, especially when you have alternatives like hot fudge...Sanders Milk Chocolate Hot Fudge.

http://www.sanderscandy.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=194

Samantha said...

Jenna--you're welcome over, any time!! B... hot fudge on apple pie? interesting... i'll have to check it out. better yet, buy it for me for christmas. ha.