Australian as Mom and Apple Pie

There's pie in Perth. My parents relocated from the land-locked state of Arkansas to the coastline of Western Australia in May. They're really far from us now, but there's comfort knowing that the first thing they did to wink to America was inaugurate their oven with an apple pie.

Both of my parents bake their own version of the same pie. Dad's are gigantic envelopes of steamy, sugary apples dripping in cinnamon. Mom opts for a drier version with bigger chunks of apples and less abundant crust. They're both good and very them.

When I was little, every fall weekend included pie and a drive. Now, my parents are tracking the coastline exploring local foods and the exotic wildlife. Where we once spotted Holsteins and ate apples through New Jersey countryside, they're now keeping the kangas at bay and buying local mandarine oranges along the road.

Mom's keeping us posted with Australian recipes, photos and the culinary difference of here and there. Stay tuned for some more food from down under.


The new view on Sunday drives!

Nugget o' the Day: "The carrots are so big here they're more suited to horses!" - Mom at the market in Perth.

Riley Apple Pie
For the crust
2/3 cup of butter
1 1/2 - 2 cups of flour
dash of salt
dash of sugar
approximately 1/8 cup of ice water
1 egg for an egg wash

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1. Fork butter, flour, sugar and salt together until a crumbly mixture forms.
2. Add drops of ice water until a soft, cohesive ball forms. Less is more - less water, less handling the better the crust.
3. Form two balls - one for the bottom and one just slightly larger for the top.
4. Roll out on a lightly floured surface. Remember less handling the better. Add the smaller roll to the bottom of the pie pan.
5. Once pie is assembled, brush entire crust with an egg wash

For the filling
12 peeled, diced apples - go for the Jonathans, Jonagolds or Golden Delicious kinds
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Peel and dice apples and place right in the pan with the rollout dough.
2. Add lemon juice right over the apples.
3. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and pour over apples.
4. Turn the apples and dry ingredients right in the pie crust gently.
5. Add the top of the crust to the apples. And if you're feeling fancy take a little extra crust and make an extra little apple design for the top.
6. Fork some holes in the top of the crust for steam to escape.
7. Place pie plate on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for about an hour or until crust becomes golden.