As American As...

Both my grandmother and my great-aunt were sick over Thanksgiving, so we had the official family re-do this weekend out at Grandma's in NJ. I offered to bring out some food, but my grandmother is notorious for not eating anything that anyone else has cooked, so she declined my offer but asked me to bake some apple pie while I was out there. I went out this summer and made some pie and, according to my grandma and a couple uncles, it was "the best apple pie they've ever eaten." Yes, it was good, but anything is good if you put that much butter and sugar in it, so I was surprised that Grandma remembered and asked me. It wasn't even my recipe, it was my dad's, and I was so unfamiliar with it that I had to call him and ask for it when I got there.

Now, this wouldn't really be a story except that my great-aunt was there. Aunt Terri is known as the baker in the family and always shows up to events stocked with cookies and pies. This weekend, however, she decided to bring an apple pie. Her famous apple pie for which she won't share the crust recipe. Not even with family. But Grandma still insisted that I bake apple pie as well, so that we would have three apple pies for a meal with 10 people.

Obviously I have no idea what I'm doing, but this pie-off takes on the quality of a spectator sport and I spend a couple hours in my grandmother's kitchen (off-limits to all but the most favored female family members) with my every move being examined by her, my Aunt Tina, and most notably my Aunt Terri. Terri was helpful, in a slightly restrained and disapproving way, and although the picture below is fuzzy you can just make out her expression of suspicion and judgment.

I will say that my dad's recipe held up to the test, though, and even though Aunt Terri was heard to say at the table "Well, mine is definitely better", my Aunt Tina cornered me in the hall and confided that she liked my crust best. Overall, I would be happy to never be pitted against any other family members in an area with which I am so unfamiliar, but you have to admit that the end result looked fucking hot.