My mother said: “We always called this ‘Dutch-apple pie.’ It was quite a favourite when I was growing up. I vividly recall my grandmother making it. She was from Prussia. The sour cream came, of course, from the cream can in the cellar. That cream can held the makings of our home-churned butter, sour cream for mother’s biscuits, etc. What was left over was picked up by the creamery truck to be made into butter which eventually found its way into our local grocery stores.”
Northern Spys are often huge so if you use another, smaller variety like Cortlands or Gala, you will likely have to increase the number of apples to 4 or 6. The new Red Prince variety is excellent.
Ingredients
- Unbaked Pie Shell 1 x 9”
- Tart Apples 3 or 4 large
- Sugar 1 cup
- All Purpose Flour 3 Tbs
- Salt ½ tsp
- Sour Cream 1 cup
- Cinnamon 1 tsp
- Sugar (second amount) 1 Tbs
Cook It
- Peel and slice the apples into the unbaked pie shell, reserving a whole centre- cut ring as decoration. Stir the cup of sugar with the flour, salt and sour cream until smooth. Spread over the apples. Place the apple ring on top and sprinkle with cinnamon and 1 Tbs sugar.
- Bake in preheated 425˚F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350˚F and continue baking until bubbling and lightly browned, about 35 – 40 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes to set before serving.
Adapted from Anita Stewart’s CANADA, The Food, The Recipes, The Stories (Harper Collins 2008)
