Bramerzican Cooking

An inevitable part of travel, be it sooner rather than later, is homesickness. For me, it comes in the form of reminiscing about food that isn't available here, or that recipe that no one can make as well as your mom. Personally, I think one of the funnest cures is to adapt those recipes and try to recreate them with local ingredients, and of course, enjoy them among friends. That's exactly what my roommate Adriana and I did one day. Adriana spent fifteen years dancing in Austria in the conservatory, and we were talking about foods that we missed. She mentioned strudel, which led me to the all-American apple pie.After some brainstorming and pondering over availability of ingredients, I jotted down a basic recipe for a lattice pie with a cheddar crust (it was the simplest crust and it didn't require vegetable shortening, which is not readily available). After frequenting 2 open air markets, 2 grocery stores and a specialty store, this is what we came up with;

Torta de Maca (Apple Pie)

Ingredients Crust

• 170 g. of butter (no salt!)
• 1 cup of grated Regina cheese (the closest local equivalent of Cheddar, a white cheese with a mellow, salty flavor)
• 2 cups flour
• 3-5 tablespoons ice water

Filling

• 8 apples (6 gala/macintosh, you know, the reddish-yellow, sweet variety; 2 granny smith)
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• juice of one lemon (to taste)

How it's done! (in 3 stages, as noted by Adriana) Part 1

1. Cream butter and cheese in a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon. The end result should be the two ingredients well meshed and creamy.
2. In a larger bowl, mix flour with a pinch of salt
3. Add butter/cheese mix to flour/salt mix, and stir until the dough forms a consistency that is thick, yet not too sticky (add ice water in spoonfuls, to avoid a soupy texture)
4. Divide dough (1/3 for the top crust, the remaining 2/3 for the main crust) and roll out the top crust until it's about a half of an inch thick
5. Wrap disk in plastic wrap (as we discovered, aluminum foil works too) and refrigerate 30 minutes or more
6. Repeat with the larger portion of dough (same thickness, 1/2 inch +-) and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (you can leave the dough in the freezer if you want to make the pie for a later date)

Part II

1. Peel and core apples
2. Cut into thin wedges and place in a large bowl
3. Add flour and mix (to absorb some of the juice)
4. In small bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg

Part III

1. Retrieve main crust from the fridge and roll into a large disk on floured surface. It should be more or less 12 inches in diameter and an even circle.
2. Transfer crust to a greased pie pan and remove excess edges, saving them for the top crust
3. Return to fridge for 15 minutes
4. During this time, roll out the top crust. It should be slightly bigger than the bottom crust, but it will also be thinner. When at the desired size, cut thin strips (about 1 cm. wide) for the lattice.
5. After the bottom crust has chilled, remove from the fridge
6. Layer apple wedges in the crust. The apples should be overlapping, forming spirals
7. After one layer is complete, sprinkle the sugar/spice mix evenly over the top
8. Add second layer of apples/topping, and add lemon juice over the top
9. Lattice the top crust, spacing the strips about one inch apart, forming squares
10. Pinch edges to make it pretty, and you can brush a wash of 1 egg white mixed with water over the top for a nice glaze
11. Pop in the oven (190 C/375 F) and leave for about 40 minutes
12. You'll know it's done when the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbles

The end result:

After taking the pie out of the oven, we were both very excited to try it. Adriana's initial reaction was less affirmative than I would have hoped ("All I taste is sugar and lemon!"), while I thought it turned out great. I was a bit down-trodden, and went to bed thinking that I had left a bad taste of American cuisine for Brazilians. The next day, Adriana told me she tried the pie cold, and loved it (while I thought it was just so-so, chilled). The experience showed me that while our American staple prepared and served as-is may not be to the liking of Brazilians (who tend to not like sweets as much as us), it's very adaptable.

All in all, the experience was a success, and I look forward to many more Brazimerican creations!