The Sour Apple Food

SOUR CREAM APPLE COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add vanilla and stir in sour cream. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and stir into wet ingredients until just incorporated.
• In another bowl, combine all ingredients for topping. Toss half of the topping with the sliced apples. Scrape the coffee cake batter into a greased 8-inch round cake pan and level. Cover cake with apples and sprinkle remaining topping over. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Yield: 1 8-inch round cake

SOUR CREAM APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening and pulse until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Add the butter and pulse until it is in pea-size pieces. Add the vinegar and 5 to 6 tablespoons ice water; pulse until the dough just starts forming a ball. Divide between two pieces of plastic wrap. Shape each into a disk and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Make the filling: Peel the apples and slice 1/4 inch thick; toss with 2/3 cup sugar, the lemon juice and salt in a large bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the apples; cook, stirring, until slightly softened, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon flour. Cook, stirring, until the juices thicken, about 1 minute. Transfer to a separate large bowl. Repeat with the remaining butter, apples and flour; add to the bowl with the cooked apples. Gently fold in the sour cream and vanilla paste. Let cool completely.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Ease into a 9 1/2 -inch deep-dish pie plate. Add the filling, slightly mounding it in the center. Refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Put a baking sheet on the lowest oven rack and preheat to 425 degrees F for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, roll out the remaining disk of dough into a 12-inch round on a floured surface. Lay the dough over the filling and press the crusts together around the edge; fold the overhanging dough under itself. Crimp with your fingers or a fork. Refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes.
• Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the apple pie spice. Brush the top crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the spiced sugar. Make a few slits in the crust with a knife to let steam escape. Transfer the pie to the hot baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue baking until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, rotating the pie as needed, 1 hour 15 minutes. (Tent with foil if the crust browns too quickly.) Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

SOUR CHERRY-APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a large bowl. Toss the butter cubes in the flour mixture, then press the cubes between your fingertips until you have large, thin flour-coated flakes. Mix the ice water and vodka together, then drizzle into the flour mixture; stir with a fork until evenly moistened and clumps start forming. Gather the dough together into a ball, then press and fold a few times until fully combined. Divide the dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap; flatten into disks and wrap tightly. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Toss the apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice and salt in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the apple mixture and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, release their juices and begin to shrink, about 12 minutes. Stir together the cherry juice and cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir into the skillet along with the cherries and return to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until thick and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the filling to a bowl and refrigerate until completely cool, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface into a 14-inch round. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Brush off any excess flour and refrigerate. Roll out the other disk of dough into a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate along with the crust until very firm, at least 1 hour.
• Scrape the filling evenly into the chilled pie crust. Cut 10 strips of varying widths from the round of dough (on the parchment) with a fluted pastry cutter. Lay 5 strips of dough across the pie, leaving space between each. Lay 5 more strips across the pie in the opposite direction, weaving them through to make a lattice. Trim the strips, leaving a 1-inch overhang, then fold the overhanging dough (strips and bottom crust) under itself and crimp with your fingers. Refrigerate the pie to firm up the pastry again, 1 hour.
• Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the middle oven rack; preheat to 375˚. Brush the pie crust (lattice and edge) with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake the pie on the hot baking sheet until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the pie to a rack to cool completely.

AMISH SOUR CREAM APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Beat sour cream and egg together.
• Add flour, sugar, salt and vanilla.
• Mix until smooth.
• Stir in apples.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Mix the crumb topping ingredients until crumbly.
• Remove pie from oven and spread with crumb topping.
• Bake 20 more minutes.

SOUR CREAM APPLE MUFFINS

Steps:

• Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 3 tablespoons sugar.
• Combine egg, sour cream, and oil in bowl and pour into dry ingredients all at once.
• Stir partially, then add apples which have been peeled, diced, and sprinkled with nutmeg and 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Stir until all dry ingredients are moist but still lumpy, about 17-25 strokes.
• Spoon batter into greased muffin tins, filling tins only 2/3 full.
• Bake at 425° for 20-28 minutes.