There is a reason “the apple of my eye” is a well-known saying. Apples are synonymous with fall, tradition, and pie. At Pie Bar we FREAKING LOVE APPLE PIE. I could eat it every day of my life, and to be frank, I tend to have a slice at least twice a week during Apple Pie Season. From September until Christmas, we pack in as many apple pies as we possibly can. Apple Crumble, Salted Caramel Apple Streusel, Apple Cider Custard, and Traditional Apple Pie grace our pie case and make all the other pies jealous due to their beauty and grace.
The time and care that it takes to produce one beautiful, handcrafted, apple pie is quickly forgotten when you are served a carefully sliced piece of pie...preferably warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a good cup of coffee. I know this and I understand this, which is why I have decided to “show you how the sausage is made,” if you will.
It all starts 49.4 miles north of here, in apple country, Ellijay, Georgia. Mr. James of BJ Reece Orchards loads his flatbed truck with bushels of honey crisps, galas, pink ladies, and Jonagolds (to name a few). He delivers our apples (!!!) fresh from the trees, and they (the apples..) know they are the lucky ones. They are going to receive the highest honor possible -- they were chosen as apples to become apple pie.
Can we all agree that Mr. James is adorable and we all want to spend all of our free time with him?!?!?
Now that the apples have been delivered, let the peeling, coring, and slicing begin. After hours of peeling apples, they begin to pile higher and higher. From a mountain of apples, they become slices in no time. We sprinkle them with a little bit of sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. There is no reason to mask that fresh, apple taste.
Nekked apple pies! EKKK!! Look away!!
We add a pat of butter for good measure, an all-butter pie crust is thrown on top for modesty's sake, and a sprinkle of sugar for luck. Into the oven they go, where they transform into something amazing. The crust turns golden brown and flaky. The filling bubbles over. The shop smells like the world’s largest Apple Pie candle..it is pie heaven. We carefully remove them from the oven and place them on the cooling rack. This is the hardest part of being a baker...the waiting. Cut into the pie too soon and you have an apple pie puddle. Sometimes we fail. Waiting for them to cool will suddenly seem stupid and irrational. "WE MUST HAVE APPLE PIE NOW!!" we yell. And sometimes, we have some self-control. We wait. We wait until the pie cools juuuuuuuuust enough to keep it’s shape, but is still warm enough to slowly melt a scoop of ice cream on top.
Hello, lover.
Once the slice is gone, it is only normal to mourn its absence. But no worries, Mr. James will continue to drive that big truck packed full of apples and we will continue to slice and dice and peel all for your Apple Pie eating pleasure. As long as Apple Season lasts, that is.
We have apple pie in some form or fashion daily in-shop from September until the apply supply runs dry. I hope you enjoy this season as much as I do. Feel free to check out our menu page to manage your Apple Pie addiction.