Ann Walko's Apple Pie

Another Anne collecting apples

I got this deliciously basic apple pie recipe from my friend Insley (and her grandmother, Ann). I added a little water and yogurt to make it creamier. It helped in baking it at 7,000 ft elevation as well. 

Filling:

*6-7 med. size Macintosh apples
*1/3 cup sugar
*1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
*1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*3 scant tablespoons flour

*3/4 cup yogurt

*1/4 cup water

Directions:

1 ¼ cup sifted flour (separate ¼ cup from this and add to it ¼ teaspoon of salt) Take remaining 1 cup of flour and cut in (with two table knives) ½ cup Crisco until the mixture has bonded and is crumbly.

Next take ¼ of flour and salt and add to it 3 tablespoons of ice water.  (Sometimes it requires a bit more than this).   Stir into a paste and then add to the Crisco/flour mixture and cut again.

Ball up, divide in half and sprinkle flour on wax paper and pin to roll.  (Because the dough is usually fairly moist, quite a lot of flour can be used to roll it out and prevent sticking).
Line pan with crust.  Add filling and put 6 thin slices of butter on top of apples.  Put top crust on.  Cut off excess at edges.  Roll under and press with fork.  Cut vent holes in top crust.
Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes then turn down (to 325-ish?) and bake for an additional 40 minutes on the bottom rack.  (Put foil around the edges if they begin to brown.)

Coconut Rosewater Cake

I stole a recipe from NPR, who stole it from "The California Cook" (and we both made adjustments). So here is my version of the rosewater cake:






Ingredients:
*1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (2 sticks)
*1 cup sugar
*3 large eggs at room temperature
*2 teaspoons coconut extract
*1 tablespoon rosewater 
*1 cup vanilla or lemon yogurt (I used both)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. Sift
the flour, baking soda and baking powder together in a medium mixing
bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the
butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about four minutes.
Beat in the eggs, rosewater, and coconut extract, and mix for two
minutes.

Reduce the mixer to the lowest speed, add half the flour mixture, and
mix until combined. Add half the yogurt, mixing slowly yet constantly,
and then add the rest of the flour and yogurt.

Pour the mixture into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 35-40
minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the thickest
part of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then
invert onto a cake rack.

I know the original recipe called for a glaze but the cake does very
well on its own, especially with tea!