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Regional Cuisine: As American As Apple
Pie
by: Samuel Murray
We love baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet -
or so an old ad for Chevrolet tells us. Apple pie is as American
as… well.. apple pie. If baseball is the All-American
sport, then apple pie is the all-American dessert. And while
the internet and book stores have spread the recipes far and
wide, there are classic apple desserts in every region that
are characteristic of the cuisine for that area. Wherever
Johnny Appleseed spread orchards, there are recipes that make
use of other regional ingredients and traditions to create
unique desserts with apples and - whatever!
If you think of apple pie as having two crusts and a filling
of apples combined with sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg,
some of the regional variations may surprise you. Apple cobbler,
apple pandowdy, apple puff, apple crisp, apple brown betty
are all variations of apple pie in different regions. The
prevailing apple recipes for any region may be affected by
the variety of apple that's hardiest and most popular
in that area, as well as the style of cuisine that's
prevalent.
In New England, for instance, most apple recipes call for
Pippins, Granny Smith's or other firm fleshed, sweet
varieties of apple that cook up well and lose little moisture
when being baked. In Maine, it's not uncommon to find
blueberries in your apple pie. In Massachusetts, cranberry
apple pie is a favorite. In Vermont, the apples may be sweetened
with honey or maple syrup. And in many restaurants on Cape
Cod, rather than vanilla ice cream, your piping hot slice
of heaven will be served topped with a slice of melting cheese.
In the Southern states, with their predilection for creamy,
lightly spiced foods, the most common apple pie recipes include
Apple Cream Pie (made with sour cream) and Apple Bourbon Pie,
with raisins soaked in bourbon. Raisins soaked in rum are
another popular addition to 'apple pie' in the
South, especially in New Orleans. Other additions include
rhubarb, diced peaches and walnuts.
Midwestern Apple Pie is the classic apple pie - two
flaky crusts packed with thick, sweet, juicy apple slices
mounded high and vented to let the fragrant steam escape.
In Kansas or Missouri, your apple pie will satisfy any purist
- served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that melts
into the syrupy filling and adds the perfect touch of creaminess
to the mix.
In the South and Southwest you'll find deep-fried apple
pie, a variation that matches melt-in-your-mouth flaky fried
crust with sweet, diced apples in a syrupy sauce. And in Pennsylvania,
the home of the Pennsylvania Dutch, Apple Crumb Pie and Apple
Pandowdy take the place of Apple Pie a la Mode on most restaurant
menus.
As American as Apple Pie … from coast to coast, Americans
have done what they do best - taken a classic and adapted
it to suit the ingredients and tastes that surround them.
Whether you top it with a sprinkle of cinnamon, a dollop of
whipped cream or a slice of sharp cheddar, there's no
other food that comes close to being the All-American dessert.
About The Author
Samuel Murray
This article provided courtesy of http://www.health-food-shopper.com
support@arundel.net
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