Sabine Apple Pie

For those of you who think no one should ever eat good food…

… here is apple pie from the Sabine Apple Pie Tree next to the chapel along with espresso.

"But Father!  But Father!", someone is bound the query… "Did you…"

The answer is "No… I bought the crust."

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
This entry was posted in SESSIUNCULA. Bookmark the permalink.

43 Comments

  1. Ohio Annie says:

    But Father, but Father, how come I never get an invitation? har har.
    Keep them food pix coming! I wanna see the flatware pattern though!

  2. I hope you had a cigar also. Cigars go really well with espresso or strong coffee.

  3. Ohio Annie says:

    Cigars go with EVERYTHING. Except maybe Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies.

    I like DOMINICANS the best!

  4. Lucy says:

    Oh Fr Z, You’re a man after my own heart. I plan to make a yummy apple pie for this evening’s dessert. I will use a few honeycrisp, one yellow delicious, and a few gala to round out the lovely flavors of fall. Chicken soup for dinner first ! Yes, homemade !! Keep the food pictures coming.

  5. Coletta says:

    Looks delicious – with expresso – perfect!

  6. Aaron Traas says:

    Father,

    You really should learn how to make home-made crust. It’s stupidly easy if you have a food processor, and yields far superior results. [Time and will are both lacking, I’m afraid.]

  7. Ohio Annie: I must say I do not have good place settings, either for the plates, etc. or the flatware.  This is simply stainless steel stuff from a chain store.  The plates etc. are from the same place and are simple, clean and not expensive.

    The only good things I have in that line are a set of silver fish knives and forks for 12, if you can believe it, which I inherited in Italy.  It is important that fish knives and forks be silver, btw.

    I also have four precious Cuillère à sauce individuelle which I place only rarely and only when I have knocked myself out at the stove: not many people know what they are for, initially… but when they learn… they are material proofs that God loves us.  They are Cristofle in the Albi pattern.  Would that I had settings for four: for that is the limit I will host for a good meal at the Sabine Farm. 

    I have four rather delicate Limoges demitasse, which I also inherited and almost never use… maybe once in the last 5 years.  The wine glasses, et al., are Riedel and Spiegelau, and are good but not extravagant for white, red and water (without stems).

    There are some good pieces which should be on any decent Italian table I have brought back over the years, such as one very nice classic formaggeria, the likes of which you rarely see even in Roman restaurants any more.  Some glassware for drinks like grappa or port.  In fact, the table is very simple here, though I can cover almost all the necessities of a good place setting for just about anything I would present.

  8. Speaking of Honeycrisp apples… I remember someone who moved to Australia was talking about them the other day… I had a photo of a big pile at the store in the Twin Cities last week. Where is that photo?

  9. Larry says:

    But Fr., But Fr.

    There is far toooooooomuch white plate showing! Good grief! Apple pie is not meant to be eaten like a french delicacy. Roadside diner style. That’s the ticket! You could starve eating such small portions of America’s true food.

  10. Ohio Annie says:

    Well, Father, you still have me beat. I am still using the dishes and flatware my Mom got for me at KMart when I left home for grad school. Stainless steel and earthenware. The flatware has a rose pattern cut into it and the plates are beige with ears of wheat, very Midwesterny.

    I bet you don’t have a John Deere tractor salt shaker with a corn wagon pepper shaker though! 8-) (from the gift shop at Cracker Barrel)

  11. Rose in NE says:

    Yummmm! I just finished baking an apple crisp for the kiddos to enjoy when they get home from school.

    Keep those food photos coming–they are inspiring!

  12. Ohio: Actually… I think my dishes are from K-Mart, now that you mention it.

    I don’t, in fact, have anything John Deere on the table at any time. And I usually have a salt cellar on the table from which people may pinch or scoop at will. Once of which you can see here:

    The pepper comes from a small German-made wooden grinder.

    I went back and found a view of a very simple arrangement from an old meal:

    I did, however, forget some other bowls which were given to me years back for Christmas. They are from a place in California, I believe, and I have the serving bowl. I also have some white pasta perfect bowls in the classic Italian restaurant style with the very wide rims.

  13. John Hudson says:

    Espresso? Where’s the rich brown crema? How long has that cup been sitting there?

    Espresso is supposed to look like this:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/coffeegeek/113110988/

  14. John H: Alas, it is only from a Bialetti moka. I don’t have a real maker.

  15. Jimbo says:

    That espresso has surprisingly little crema, Father. I do hope you’re using an adequate machine (the Rancilio Sylvia with an aftermarket PID is my machine of choice). Or is that in reality Turkish coffee? As long as the beans are fresh. And if they’re not…let me know. :)

  16. Jimbo: Did you read my comment (above)? Sadly, I do not have an espresso machine… to my everlasting shame.

  17. Jimbo says:

    Ah, I missed the previous post. Moka pots are fine if you can get your beans ground powder fine. For fantastic “dirt cheap” coffee, all you need is a conical pour-thru filter, something to bring your water to exactly 200 degrees, and a conical burr grinder. You an find hand crank ones on e-Bay for twenty bucks. Fresh beans from a good coffee crop (from three days to three weeks after roasting), freshly ground with a burr (not a blade) grinder, and fresh 200 degree water is all you need.

    Espresso is nice, but you can approach brewed coffee perfection with the above mentioned simple tools.

  18. Jimbo: One of the things I did, many years ago, was work in an independent coffe/tea store… long before Starbucks existed. I learned a lot.

    Thanks, however.

  19. Home eEspresso machines are a snare and a delusion, Father. They take up a cubic foot (at the minimum), they must be plugged in at all times (if you want to have an espresso with any expedition), and they have to be cleaned after each use. Most of them don’t get a decent head of steam to produce a crema anyway. I got rid of mine. The moka will do you fine.

  20. Jimbo says:

    So that isn’t like preaching to the choir…its more like…sermonizing to the priest! Glad you know your beans, Fr. Z. I like you more every day.

  21. avecrux says:

    Wow Father, I am fascinated.
    My husband and I have been wanting to make good coffee/espresso for some time now and can never afford a machine.
    For us, date night is Starbucks, not dinner… we’d rather have good coffee than cheap (bad) food.
    I didn’t know these mokas existed.
    I went straight to Amazon to check it out. A 6-cup is only $25.
    That’s something I could surprise him with!!!
    Plus, to make it at home would be better than supporting the Starbucks agenda, I suspect.

  22. Jimbo: In the mornings I almost always make drip/filtered. I make sure the grinding is fine enough and the water the proper temp. I also have a conical grinder for the beans. I don’t really monitor the roasting date here. I did in Italy, since I lived just up the street from Sant’Eustachio.

    Have you taken a position on freezing/refrigerating beans?

  23. avecrux: You need to get used to that gizmo… how much coffee or how closely to pack it, how fine to grind it, etc. But it does a pretty good job in a pinch.

  24. Brian2 says:

    I have a cold brew coffee maker that I love. You let about a pound of coffee sit in something not entirely like a bucket over night, with about 10 cups of water. Then drain it in the morning. You get a very smooth coffee The liquid is powerful stuff, one typically puts only a small amount liquid in the cup, and then adds water.

  25. Federico says:

    Fr. Z: Have you taken a position on freezing/refrigerating beans?

    Don’t know about Jimbo, but I’m dead against freezing/refrigerating. It draws moisture (yes, there is some after roasting) out of the beans and changes the packing ability after they’re ground.

    Vacuum packing is good, which can be approximated with your lungs, a straw, and a ziplok bag. All you’re after is removing as much O2 (source of oxidation)as possible.

  26. Kradcliffe says:

    Those are some very pretty dishes.

  27. Kradcliffe says:

    Father, don’t worry about making your own crusts. Yes, it’s easy, but it’s not so much better that you’ll wonder why you haven’t done it before.

    I buy blocks of shortcrust pastry, and I know I could save money by making my own. But, you know… at least I’m making pies! Why not cut some corners if it means more home cooked food to enjoy?

  28. Jane says:

    I do not have the patience to bake an apple pie but we have a hot bread shop down the street and their apple pies are ok.

  29. Jimbo says:

    Fr. Z and Fed,

    My position on freezing/refrigerating coffee is mostly hypothetical, because I don’t do either. My fresh roasted coffee (I have a half pound drum roaster) is used quickly so I don’t need to put it on life support. My only concern is keeping the beans in their own little biosphere after degassing (Mason jar) so they don’t take on the pungency of kitchen smells like garlic and onion.

    That being said, refrigeration in an airtight container would be my preference if I had to choose, because freezing and unfreezing dark roasted coffees can cause the naturally occurring “oils” to go rancid. Then you end up drinking rancid coffee or throwing the whole lot away. NB: This only occurs if you freeze it and then let it thaw, freeze it and then let it thaw. If you’re going to freeze them, keep them frozen! Grind them frozen. Brew them frozen. Fridgin’ ’em doesn’t give you that problem. You can put them in the fridge for awhile or leave them out, won’t affect the taste much…but rancid oils…yeah, that will.

    But again, my final position is “neither.” Keep it is an airtight container at room temp and make sure you grind and drink it before it gets really stale.

  30. Jimbo: Yah… I pretty much agree with your view. I don’t roast my own coffee, though I have roasted coffee years ago… but in large quantities. I hadn’t thought to roast my own now. I generally keep my beans in an airtight jar in the fridge, though sometimes if I buy a large quantity (to save money) I freeze it in sealed jars and then work with it frozen, as you describe.

    People often don’t realize that the oils are everything. Thus, the method of making the coffee, and handling the beans, is everything.

    Interesting thread.

  31. Tina in Ashburn says:

    For our everyday coffee, we love our Capresso. Push a button and it grinds then brews. Fantastic brew. Convenient especially in the morning stupor before coffee. I have tried many machines and every method, and this one makes the best coffee ever. Can’t tell ya why or how. We experience coffee bliss.

  32. Fabrizio says:

    I didn’t know these mokas existed.

    Just when I thought nothing in life could surprise me anymore. Truly the Western world has become a land of mission.

    I am even afraid to ask if anyone has heard of a caffè corretto, and corretto with what. And ammazzacaffè? Truly somewhere in this valey of tears some go to meet their maker without having even heard of ammazzacaffè???

    I have to tell my wife we’re packing up and leaving tomorrow for a land of mission: “The Church is missionary by her very nature” (Redemptoris missio, 5).

    Spread the Extraordinary Form of coffee-making!

  33. R says:

    [Time and will are both lacking, I’m afraid.]

    Time? It takes less than five minutes. Put in flour, salt, butter, water (I use the basic Betty Crocker pie crust), and blend.

  34. Fabrizio: Even though the Sabine Farm is not mission territory, you must come for another visit.

  35. Not Getting Creaky Just Yet says:

    Re pie crust–
    I have a recipe that makes bulk pie dough. One can make it into single-crust sized balls, wrap them, an freeze them. Just thaw out one ball per layer of dough, roll, and go. It was in a paperback book about pastries, one of those biggish ones. I tried such bulk dough making once. The only time I make it in bulk now is for Tday and Christmas when I make multiple pies.

    I usually just make enough dough for the job at hand, set it into the pan, and get on with making the innards. The dough may be a little tough for lack of resting, but my crew doesn’t complain. They just chow down. With most of the kinder gone now, though, pies don’t disappear fast enough to make them often. It’s just too depressing to throw out part of a cherry pie that got moldy because we all got too busy and it didn’t get eaten. I don’t think God approves of letting good food go bad. It smacks of disrespect, IMHO.

  36. Derik Castillo says:

    Fr. Z. wrote: apple pie from the Sabine Apple Pie Tree .

    I smile and imagine that the espresso comes from a spring on the other side of the chapel. Then I wonder how does the flowers of that tree look like?

    just kidding

  37. Derik: the espresso comes from a spring on the other side of the chapel

    You peeked!

  38. Father Totton says:

    Sounds like a Bavaro-Mediteranean Catholic version of “Big Rock Candy Mountain”

  39. Father Totton says:

    For those who don’t have the skill or time to roast your own coffee, could I suggest you give the Wyoming Carmelites a try? Mystic Monk Coffee is very good – the Carmelites roast it (even if they are friars!) and sell it to support themselves and to build Carmel.
    We are thinking of selling it in the parish as a fundraiser soon.

    Google Mystic Monk Coffee and you will see it for sure.

  40. Fr. Totton: I think they should send me some for my review and possible publicity!  Don’t you?

    o{];¬)

  41. Patrick T says:

    Father,

    Have you ever considered writing an autobiography telling of your adventures before priesthood, during the seminary, your work in Rome, etc? Of course interlaced with your entertaining stories, would be great theological insights as well.

    I think there is a great need for this type of book for the same reason that your food posts get lots of comments – namely, these stories help to “humanize” a priest and make us feel as though we know you personally. There is a great benefit when the faithful realize that priests are not totally different (minus the ontological difference of course) from our sons, brothers, friends, uncles, etc. It makes us realize that men of all different backgrounds and talents are called to serve the Lord. People need to hear this today.

  42. Father Totton says:

    Fr. Z,

    I think they would if they read the blog, but there is no internet in Carmel (but then I am not sure how it is they are able to take internet orders.

  43. Mary says:

    Father, sometime when you have leisure, would you do me and other readers a favor by expounding briefly on your method with the Bialetti? (“how much coffee or how closely to pack it, how fine to grind it, etc.”) I have had very varied days with mine and it would be appreciated.

Comments are closed.