Dutch Letter Slab Pie

Another Recipe Mashup

The recipe for Apple Abstract is one of many in my recipe box that I attribute to my mom and enjoy reading in her handwriting but that has my Aunt Joyce’s name on. I love seeing my mom pay tribute to her older sister in the recipes that she has handed on to me.  I love that these same recipes – Apple Abstract, Peach Kuchen, baked beans and others are ones that my family loves and requests season after season. Mom and Joyce’s Apple Abstract is really what has become the trendy “Slab Pie” that is all over Pinterest and foodie blogs that have those beautiful pictures. Slab Pies are a take on pie that can be eaten with the hand more like a bar than a piece of pie and serves more people than your typical nine inch pie would.

I can’t look at this recipe and not remember sneaking down to the freezer as a kid just in from mowing the lawn one of the last times of the season or just off the dusty, fall school bus.  I can feel the chill of the basement and joy of grabbing a serving from one of several pans made and frozen by my mom with apples from our yard apple tree or a neighbor’s. I can also remember the irritating moment of opening the bag to discover that an empty cookie sheet had been put back in the freezer by someone who didn’t want to own eating the last piece. 

The treat was always made and encased in a large, plastic bag that carried the logo of the Pioneer, DeKalb and other seed corn companies that were given as a premium to farmer-customers alongside of the iconic paring knife that was used and abused in our knife collection. The plastic bag was big enough to fit two cookie sheets in and went to the freezer, potlucks and our fridge as the original and much reused and much older cousin to today’s two gallon Ziploc bag. It created the perfect micro-environment to raise rolls in 9x13 metal cake pans and folded over on the edge to keep other baked items from getting dried out on the counter.

As it is with every recipe in my collection, I love and cherish the recipe that has been shared with me.  I’m also not afraid to mess with it.  This past week at my job, I was asked to help around the edges of a major visit to our college.  Educators, elected officials and business owners from Saxony, Germany came to formalize an agreement with the community college I raise funds for.  The agreement allows our graduates to apply for enrollment in a baccalaureate college in Germany where they would also get international work experience and graduate from their institution with a German BA/BS. It is an amazing opportunity for our students. We were pleased to offer Iowa hospitality to the group which included several meals highlighting Iowa foods.  I was asked to make the desserts for one of the evening meals. They were estimating 80 guests could be present.

One of the requests was for cherry pies to go along with the Peach Kuchen I thought would be perfect use of the seasonal peaches at the grocery store. Working a regular day and then making 5 pies, even with canned filling wasn’t going to happen in my single oven… No matter how I managed my time – which was in short supply. I have not had the opportunity to travel outside of the United States, but everything I see on travel shows and international cooking shows highlight the quality and intricacies of European desserts and I felt the pressure to bring something over the top for them to enjoy. Then I thought of what could be done and I robbed the crust of Apple Abstract and added an adjusted Dutch Letter filling to cans of cherry pie filling. It worked!

Below are several ways to make this Slab Pie – the first is the original family recipe.  It is followed by the remixes that I made this week.  I hope that these options will allow you to enjoy serving a bunch and maybe think about how you could or have remixed a family recipe.  I love hearing about other people’s remixes and family treasured recipes. I hope that you will either share a family favorite with me or tell me how you’ve remixed a favorite in the comments.

Mom and Aunt Joyce’s Original Apple Abstract

Groceries

Dough:

                2 ½ Cups Flour

                1 Cup shortening, not quite room temperature

                ½ Teaspoon Salt

                Egg yolk with milk added to make 2/3 Cup (reserve white for glazing the crust)

Filling:

                3-4 Handfuls of Corn Flakes or Special K Cereal, lightly crushed

                8-10 Apples, cored, peeled and sliced ¼ inch or thinner

                1 Cup sugar

                Cinnamon

                ¼ Cup Butter sliced thin

Process:

Combine flour and salt.  Cut in shortening until well large crumb has developed. Whisk egg and milk together and add all at once to the flour, salt, shortening mixture. Lightly knead to pull together. This will be a moist dough.  Divide into two portions.  Roll out on a heavily floured surface until about 1 inch larger on all sides than a rolled edge cookie sheet.  Transfer the crust to the cookie sheet. Crumble cereal evenly across crust.  Layer apples across the sheet.  Reserve two tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle remaining sugar across the apples and sprinkle with cinnamon liberally. Dot with butter slices.  Roll out second crust and lay across the apples.  Beat the egg white to a froth and brush the crust.  Sprinkle with reserved sugar.  Bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown (about 40 minutes).  Can drizzle with powdered sugar or amaretto powdered sugar glaze. Will serve 12 dessert or 24 snack sized servings.

Dutch Letter Slab Pie Remix

Groceries  

Dough:
2 ½ Cups Flour

1 Cup shortening, not quite room temperature
½ Teaspoon Salt
Egg yolk with milk added to make 2/3 Cup (reserve white for glazing the crust)

Dutch Letter Filling:

8 oz. Almond Paste
1 Can Almond Pastry Filling
2 eggs + 1 yolk
1 C sugar
½ teaspoon Vanilla

Fruit Layer:

2 cans of pie filling for snack like bars or 3 cans of pie filling for more luscious bars, this can be divided into more than one filling to offer multiple flavors for a dessert serving line.

Topping:

¼ -1/3 cup sliced Almonds

2 Tablespoons sanding sugar

Process: Make crust as described in Apple Abstract Recipe above.  Set to the side with a towel over the crust in the cookie sheet and crust waiting to be rolled out to keep them from drying out.  Beat the Almond paste on high to smooth out.  Add the almond pastry filling and beat together well.  Add sugar, eggs and vanilla, beating until fully incorporated and smooth.  Using a cookie scoop evenly spread mounds of filling across the crust laid out in the cookie sheet.  Use an offset spatula to smooth the almond filling across the bottom of the crust. Layer prepared pie filling across the Dutch letter filling.  Roll out the remaining crust at least as large as the cookie sheet. Cut ¾-1 inch strips of dough.  Lay diagonally across the fillings and weave like a lattice top pie.  There will be 1 ½ -2 inch gaps between strips.  Brush with whisked egg white.  Sprinkle with sliced almonds and sanding sugar.  Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.  If the top is getting over browned you can lay a sheet of parchment or tinfoil across the top of the cookie sheet.

Amaretto Fruit filling:

2 Cups, packed, peeled and chopped apples or peaches

1/3 C Amaretto

1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

Combine sugar, cornstarch and amaretto over medium high heat until dissolved. Add fruit and simmer until sauce is thickened.  Use as a replacement for a can of pie filling