This year at school I'm taking a course called "Cooking with Chemistry"....which is basically the best thing ever! In the class we learn how to cook pretty basic recipes, but we learn the chemistry behind it all, and why each food does what it does. It's super informative, and will surely help later on in life when everyone in college has no idea how to properly boil and egg, or the meaning of the term "blanche". (because i will!)
So a few weeks ago, we learned how to make a "mock" apple pie. Otherwise known as an apple pie without apples. Sounds preposterous, right?! How in the world can one possibly bake this good ol' American classic without those signature granny smith apples?
Well, it's actually very simple. And easy. And mind-blowing.
It begins with a store bought graham cracker crust. The ingredients consist of butter (of course), sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, baking soda, cinnamon, and....get ready....RITZ CRACKERS. Crackers! Like snacking food. Somehow, these ingredients get combined, thrown in the oven, and come out tasting and looking exactly like an apple pie.
The mass amounts of melted butter not only helped these puppies taste delicious, but it was absorbed by the ritz crackers which gave the pies that almost mushy texture that a true apple pie would have.
And there you have it! A mock apple pie. Bring it to a party, and tell everyone it's a homemade apple pie.
They will believe you.
It looks like apple pie,
it tastes like apple pie,
and that's all that people will care about.
So a few weeks ago, we learned how to make a "mock" apple pie. Otherwise known as an apple pie without apples. Sounds preposterous, right?! How in the world can one possibly bake this good ol' American classic without those signature granny smith apples?
Well, it's actually very simple. And easy. And mind-blowing.
It begins with a store bought graham cracker crust. The ingredients consist of butter (of course), sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, baking soda, cinnamon, and....get ready....RITZ CRACKERS. Crackers! Like snacking food. Somehow, these ingredients get combined, thrown in the oven, and come out tasting and looking exactly like an apple pie.
We first began by slightly crushing up the ritz cracker into pieces. The idea behind this is that once baked, the pieces look just like apple slices. And whether you want to believe it or not folks, appearance is a big factor in the way food ends up tasting. Aesthetics is key when it comes to cooking and baking, because when you see something that looks good, you eat it.
The melted butter, with lemon, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon were all added to the pieces, and made into a sort of mixture. Then we topped it off with a little bit more butter (obviously) and popped in the oven.
Now, the lemon juice was another interesting ingredient. We added it to contribute the tangy, tart flavor that apple pie usually has. You wouldn't think twice about it, but it was truly an essential ingredient to this fake apple pie.
The mass amounts of melted butter not only helped these puppies taste delicious, but it was absorbed by the ritz crackers which gave the pies that almost mushy texture that a true apple pie would have. And there you have it! A mock apple pie. Bring it to a party, and tell everyone it's a homemade apple pie.
They will believe you.
It looks like apple pie,
it tastes like apple pie,
and that's all that people will care about.
