The Serpent’s Tooth Sunday Suppers

Austin is now the trendy number one city, but back in the eighties it was more laid back – not so many skyscrapers and urban hipsters. Just outside of town, you'd be likely to run into old cowboys, ranch hands, and a diamondback or two. And just maybe – an accidental death not as accidental as it seems…

Today’s Mother’s Day recipe is from Different Drummer’s novel, The Serpent’s Tooth, which ends with a glorious outdoor feast. Click on the Index at the top of the site and then click on Footloose Foodie to find the other recipes for this feast.

Today’s recipe is from the wife of Elroy, a character in The Serpent’s Tooth.

ELROY: A semi-retired carpenter, a whiz at water witching and killing diamondbacks with a single hammer like blow.

Dutch Apple Pie

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoon salt

1/3cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening

2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Filling

8 cups sliced cored peeled apples

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

t1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions

In medium bowl, mix 1 cup flour and the salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary). Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap flattened round of pastry in plastic wrap, and refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.

Heat oven to 400°F. On surface sprinkled with flour, using floured rolling pin, roll pastry dough into circle 2 inches larger than 9-inch pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side and being careful not to stretch pastry, which will cause it to shrink when baked. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired.

In large bowl, toss Filling ingredients. Pour into pie plate, mounding apples toward center.

In medium bowl, use pastry blender or fingers to mix butter, 1 cup flour and the brown sugar until a crumb forms. Sprinkle evenly over top of pie. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon granulated sugar on top.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until pie crust and crumb topping are deep golden brown and filling begins to bubble. Transfer to cooling rack to cool.

–Stephanie Wise: Betty Crocker.com