Little Baked Apple Pies

In the English colonies the apple pie had to wait for carefully planted pips, brought in barrels across the Atlantic, to become fruit-bearing apple trees, to be selected for their cooking qualities. In the meantime, the colonists were more likely to make their pies, or "pasties", from meat rather than fruit; and the main use for apples, once they were available, was in cider. But there are American apple pie recipes, both manuscript and printed, from the eighteenth century, and it has since become a very popular dessert.

Apple pie was a common food in eighteenth century Delaware. As noted by the New Sweden historian Dr. Israel Acrelius in a letter: “Apple pie is used throughout the whole year, and when fresh Apples are no longer to be had, dried ones are used. It is the evening meal of children.”

A mock apple pie made from crackers was apparently invented by pioneers on the move during the nineteenth century who were bereft of apples. In the 1930s, and for many years afterwards, Ritz Crackers promoted a recipe for mock apple pie using its product, along with sugar and various spices.

Although apple pies have been eaten since long before the European colonisation of the Americas, "as American as apple pie" is a saying in the United States, meaning "typically American". In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, apple pie became a symbol of American prosperity and national pride. A newspaper article published in 1902 declared that “No pie-eating people can be permanently vanquished.” The dish was also commemorated in the phrase "for Mom and apple pie" - supposedly the stock answer of American soldiers in World War II, whenever journalists asked why they were going to war.

Advertisers exploited the patriotic connection in the 1970s with the commercial jingle "baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet". There are claims that the Apple Marketing Board of New York State used such slogans as "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" and "as American as apple pie!", and thus "was able to successfully 'rehabilitate' the apple as a popular comestible" in the early twentieth century when prohibition outlawed (citation needed) the production of cider.

The unincorporated community of Pie Town, New Mexico is named in honour of the apple pie.

By http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_pie#Apple_pie_in_American_culture

The state of Vermont adopted apple pie as the official state pie in 1999.

I grow up in Springfield, Vermont. Beautiful state. I love the mountains. Growing up, us kids would run and play in the mountains. I loved the swimming holes. We went swimming in several beautiful places, but I remember this one swimming hole, we had to walk down this long trail, which seem like a long way. It was worth it when we arrived at the swimming hole. The water was cool and clean. It was so clean you could see the bottom. I miss those swimming holes. I don't like to swim in the lakes here in Texas.

 

Little Baked Apple Pies

Copyright 2011 Christine's Pantry. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

1 can large buttermilk biscuits

1 (21 oz) can apple pie filling

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

flour, for work surface

Directions:

In large skillet, over low heat, add butter. Once butter melted, add apple pie filling, cinnamon, ground ginger and light brown sugar. Stir occasionally. Remove biscuits from can, lightly flour biscuits and roll each one out to 5 inch rounds. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon apple pie filling on each round. Fold each round over pie filling, making half moon shapes. To seal, flour fork and pressing around the edges with the tines of a fork. Using a fork prick each pie to vent. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray. Back 18 to 20 minutes, until golden. Enjoy!

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