I guess I’m like most people. I like to read recipes. I have a few cookbooks that are favourites and a few that rarely get used. I also love to read magazines and quite often will tear pages out before passing them on. And very often the articles I tear out are recipes. But how many Apple Pie recipes does one girl need?
I estimate I have 10 in the cookbooks I own, and a further 5 which have been torn from magazines. So with 15 recipes for Apple Pie, you’d think I make them often, testing and improving.
Nope. I sure don’t. In fact, the only thing I’ve made that resembles an Apple Pie is an Apple Tart. It was super easy and tasty and I made it 3 times in one week.
When it comes to Apple Pie, I have to admit I have bought and reheated several this year, but I have not made even one myself.
So why not? Well, I’m busy. I like to make things with minimum effort for maximum impact. I like Apple Pie but there are plenty of people and companies that make it better than I can.
So why do I keep collecting Apple Pie recipes? They look so good in the photos. They remind me of family meals, comfortable nights in a warm house and nurturing my loved ones. When I find that recipe I am drawn to the promise of the Apple Pie, not so much the hard work that goes into making it.
Is there an Apple Pie equivalent in your recipe collection?
I would love to give it a go – just make an apple pie after all these years of buying pastry and then not bothering.
Like you say, there are plenty of wonderful apple pies you can buy in the shops, so you almost think ‘what’s the point’.
And if like me, you’re terrible at making pastry, pre-buying the pastry surely makes that point even less?
But I suppose it’s the experience of it rather than the finished product – actually getting into the kitchen and having your family help out is what it’s all about!
I’m much more disciplined with my recipe collection than I used to be, but there was a time when I probably had at least 10 recipes for casseroles containing ground beef, tomatoes, pasta, and cheese. Yes, they’re yummy, and yes, I make them, but do I even need a recipe? Not really.