We have a work party coming up next week and I need to come up with a dessert for the Party Hearty Dessert Table. We thought it would be fun to have a bit of a dessert throw-down. I work with some pretty clever and creative folks, so I really need to think outside of the [Pillsbury Cake] box on this one.

It’s a simple contest – no rules, no categories. Bring anything you want. You don’t even have to make it, yourself. No rules.

But not having any rules or categories means that anything goes. And if anything goes, well… one needs to be a bit over-the-top if one wants to win.

Victor told me I should just make a pie – because he likes my pies. I like my pies, too – but this is war. Sorta.

On the other hand, I actually do make a fairly decent pie – and even won a 2nd Place in a Cherry Pie contest once upon a time… so… I started thinking about what I could do do make it award-worthy. I took a concept from my days at UCSF – If we fry it, they’ll buy it – and the Fried Apple Pie was born.

The concept is pretty simple. Roll out your pie dough, add scoops of filling, cover with another crust, cut, crimp, and fry.

I didn’t want it overly-sweet because I thought it would need a sugar-drizzle for looks when it was done. I also wanted to use one of the liqueurs we brought back from Sicily. No rules means it’s fair game to use ingredients not readily available to the other entrants. There are moments when I have no morals or scruples, whatsoever. This is about fame and glory, after all…

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Apples blended with a cinnamon liqueur… How could it be bad?!?

It couldn’t. And it wasn’t. They came out awesome! Totally freaking awesome.

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But even though Victor and Nonna both loved them, I’m not sure if they’re totally award-winning awesome and not just merely really freakin’ good. This is tough. Low as they may be, I do have standards and if I’m going to throw morals and scruples to the wind it had better be a pretty heavy wind.

Dilemma, dilemma…

So I’m going to have to think about this. I still have three days before the event – that’s plenty of time to completely over-complicate this and drive Victor crazy. And in the meantime, we have a pretty awesome dessert to finish up!

Fried Apple Pie

  • 2 granny smith apples
  • 2 braeburn apples
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp Cannella – cinnamon liqueur
  • pinch salt
  • 1 egg – for sealing
  • oil for frying

Make crusts – or buy them if you must – and roll into two equally-sized rectangles.

Peel and slice apples and cut to about a 1/4″ dice. Mix in the liqueur and then the sugar, flour, butter, and pinch of salt.

Place small scoops of filling evenly-spaced along the first piece of dough in neat rows. The neat rows are important.

Beat the egg, and with a pastry brush, brush between the scoops of filling in both directions, making sure to get the edges, as well.

Carefully cover with the second piece of dough. Press firmly along the edges of each pie and cut with a fluted pastry cutter or pizza wheel. Or use a sharp knife.

To cook… in a small pan heat about 3″ of oil to 360°F. Carefully add 2 pies and cook about 4 minutes, or until crispy-browned. Place on rack to drain and continue with the rest.

When cool, mix a bit of powdered sugar with milk and a splash of vanilla and drizzle over.

So… I just ate another one – totally for research purposes – and I’m beginning to think maybe they are award-worthy…

And maybe if I made them smaller…

Stay tuned.