how 'bout them apples?

This is my "I really don't like apples" post. You see, for years, I thought that I liked apples. Week after week, I would buy apples and then rarely eat them. I tried Granny Smiths, Fujis, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Braeburns, you name it, but most of the time, the apples would languish at the bottom of the refrigerator and shrivel up until I finally threw them away. I wish I liked raw apples, I really do. After all, they are cheap fruit and as the saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But I don't like raw apples, not even sliced up and dipped in peanut butter.

I have finally come to terms with that fact that I just don't like raw apples. I'm going to stop buying them, unless I bake with them. In the past week, I baked an Almond Apple Pie and Apple Muffins. I think that both of these dishes represent my defeat with raw apples and the fact that I'm just going to embrace the fact that I really don't like them.

The recipe for the Almond Apple Pie originally calls for cranberries, but I couldn't find them. They must not be in season, and I couldn't even find frozen ones. Anyway, this pie is good. I had a bit of trouble with the pie crust (not enough fat when I cut the shortening into the flour; then I tried to make up for it with a little extra water- not a good idea). The crust was a bit challenging to roll out and ended up a little thin. For the almond flavor, I rolled out a tube of almond paste and set it on top of the pie crust (that's why I didn't worry that the crust was a bit thin). The almond paste is kind of fun to work with, but tough to roll out. When I finished, I was actually sweating. The slivered almonds get added to the pie in the last few minutes of baking, just enough to get nice and toasty. They are a nice addition. The pie was really good- the almond paste adds nice flavor and some richness to the pie. And the contrast between the toasted almonds and the apples are also very nice.

I also made some apple muffins, which tasted pretty good, but only on the day that I made them. After that, they got unpleasantly soggy, and there was no way to salvage them.

I'm kind of in a pie phase right now. Before the Almond Apple Pie, I made a Chocolate Pudding Pie. I'd really like to get a handle on pie crust and expand my pie repertoire. Next up? Maybe a Strawberry Pie. Stay tuned.