Summertime when the Living is Easy

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I wanted to show off the fresh apples from our small apple tree. After about 1/3 of the tree blossomed this spring, we had a killing frost. Luckily, the other 2/3 of the tree blossomed afterwards, so we still  have apples this year!

A few weeks ago, my husband peeled and pared apples for a pie, knowing that I would do the rest if he got things started. Since the green apples were sweet, but still not ripe, I pitted ripe fresh cherries to sweeten it up a bit and added to a recipe I found in Art of the Pie: A Practical Guide to Homemade Crusts, Fillings, and Life. I had bought this recipe book last year and have used it far more than I thought I would. I bought it for the filling recipes, thinking that the crust recipes would be gluten-ful and off-limits for me. Half-way through the book, though, I discovered that the author had been diagnosed with celiac. She took this as a challenge to become  a more talented and creative cook, and she had gluten-free crust recipes! I have made more pies this year than the previous five years combined, all with yummy success. 

On this day, however, I cheated and used a store-bought gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free crust because of a time crunch. Gluten-free crust is sticky, and so it must be refrigerated before it can be rolled out, and I only had about an hour before I had to start supper. 

Store-bought crust or not, this beauty was delicious! As summer continues, the apples are ripening, and we’ll have even better pies as they turn red and are even sweeter.