flipHero's Return Apple Pie
Hero's Return Apple Pie
Why this dish? When the Apollo 11 crew returned in August 1969 after their quarantine, America celebrated its heroes with parades and banquets. Nothing is more emblematic of an American family celebration — and Armstrong's native Midwest — than a golden apple pie fresh from the oven. 'As American as apple pie': the dessert of national celebration par excellence.
A buttery double crust enclosing tart apples with cinnamon, baked until the juice bubbles through the slits. The dessert for big occasions and festive Sundays.
When we came back, there were parades, speeches, more attention than I ever wanted, truth be told. But what I remember of a true celebration isn't the podium — it's an apple pie still warm, sitting on the windowsill. My grandmother made her dough with lard, slipped in sliced apples with a little cinnamon, and sealed it with a top crust she scored with a knife. Believe me, that brings your feet back to Earth more surely than any speech.
- •Flour and lard (or butter) — for two crusts (dough)
- •Tart apples — a large bowlful, sliced (filling)
- •Sugar — a good handful (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon and nutmeg — a pinch (spices)
- •A little flour — a spoonful (thicken the juice)
Hero's Return Apple Pie
A buttery double crust enclosing tart apples with cinnamon, baked until the juice bubbles through the slits. The dessert for big occasions and festive Sundays.
Why this dish? When the Apollo 11 crew returned in August 1969 after their quarantine, America celebrated its heroes with parades and banquets. Nothing is more emblematic of an American family celebration — and Armstrong's native Midwest — than a golden apple pie fresh from the oven. 'As American as apple pie': the dessert of national celebration par excellence.
When we came back, there were parades, speeches, more attention than I ever wanted, truth be told. But what I remember of a true celebration isn't the podium — it's an apple pie still warm, sitting on the windowsill. My grandmother made her dough with lard, slipped in sliced apples with a little cinnamon, and sealed it with a top crust she scored with a knife. Believe me, that brings your feet back to Earth more surely than any speech.
Ingredients (period version)
- Flour and lard (or butter) — for two crusts (dough)
- Tart apples — a large bowlful, sliced (filling)
- Sugar — a good handful (sweetness)
- Cinnamon and nutmeg — a pinch (spices)
- A little flour — a spoonful (thicken the juice)
Ingredients
- Shortcrust pastry (2 crusts) — 500 g (bottom and top)
- Apples (e.g., Reinette or Granny Smith) — 1 kg (tart filling)
- Sugar — 120 g (sweetness)
- Cinnamon — 1 tsp (signature spice)
- Nutmeg — 1 pinch (spice)
- Lemon juice — 1 tbsp (acidity)
- Flour or cornstarch — 2 tbsp (thickener)
- Butter — 20 g in small pieces (richness)
- 1 egg yolk — for glazing (finish)
Method
- Line a pie dish with one crust. Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Mix sliced apples, sugar, spices, lemon juice, and flour; let rest 10 minutes.
- Fill the crust, dot with butter pieces.
- Cover with the second crust, seal edges, cut a few steam vents in the top.
- Brush with egg yolk. Bake 50–55 minutes until the crust is golden and the juice bubbles through the vents.
- Let cool at least 30 minutes so the filling sets. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream ('à la mode').
How it was made : The double-crust apple pie is an Anglo-European heritage that became a national American icon in the 19th century. Cooling on the windowsill is part of Midwest domestic imagery. Cinnamon remains the signature spice, often paired with nutmeg.
The contemporary twist : Cut the top crust into crescent moon and star shapes before baking, to celebrate the lunar mission on the plate.
Neil Armstrong · Charactorium
