After considering all of my options, I decided that Cary Grant and Apple Pie were the best possible way to kick off 2021!
The Recipe
This recipe is from the 1930s cookbook "125 Recipes of Famous Movie Stars Revealing the Culinary Secrets of the Screen Idols of the World". I couldn't find a publication date inside, but based on the picture and the fact that Cary is in the back of the book, I assume this is from the early 30s.
Kellee Pratt and Ruth Mundsack were my guests and pie making gurus for this episode. We discussed how these celebrity recipes can often be a bit vague and really need some modern updates and adjustments. Kellee sent me her pie recipe that adds a great deal of flavor and I think Cary Grant would wholeheartedly approve! (The recipe is all Kellee's handiwork.)
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust (homemade or store bought - You can use the classic Crisco recipe for double deep crust.)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (Kellee substitutes with Smart Balance original for dairy intolerance.)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 8 granny smith apples (peeled, cored, sliced thin)
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil white stirring. Reduce to lowest temperature and simmer.
Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with sliced apples, mounded high. Cover with lattice work crust (or crust styled as you wish - if solid crust, slice a few slits with knife). Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour very slowly to avoid spilling over edges.
Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 45 minutes, or until apples are soft.
Special Guests
When I first posted that I was going to do a Cary Grant episode, Rick Greene (my guest on the Laurel & Hardy episode) emailed me to say he had a major piece of Cary Grant memorabilia. Naturally I was thrilled to have him join the fun! Rick is a film history collector and also co-authored the book "Harry Brandon: King of the Boogeymen" with Bill Cassara. You can find Rick on Facebook and he runs the group Greene's Pop Culture Sugar Blast! Coolness From The 20th Century.
Kellee Pratt teaches a classic film series in her hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. She writes a monthly column for CLASSIC MOVIE HUB on comedy, “The Funny Papers” in addition to her own blog, “Outspoken and Freckled.” Otherwise, you can find her on Twitter as @IrishJayhawk66 and other social media platforms where she chats endlessly about old movies, family life, and her dogs.
Ruth Mundsack was born and raised in Southern California born and started her classic movie journey at 13 yrs old when she would babysit and be able to stay up late and watch classic films on television. That is how her love of Cary Grant started…and the rest is history. She really loves being a part of the TCM community and she's a co-creator of a Classic Film Club in Long Beach, CA. She has been to several TCM Film Festivals and it gives her absolute joy to meet friends and be part of the classic film community or #MyTribe. This Summer she had the pleasure of going to my very 1st Caryvention to meet #MyClan. This past November she joined the Cary Comes Home Festival and met even more fans from around the world. All of this done virtually! If you want to follow her on Social Media she's @Cary_Grant_Girl on the Twitter, GirlattheBch on Instagram and Silver Screen LBC on Facebook.
The Final Result
My journey to the Cary Grant pie was a bit more difficult than most. I accidentally sliced my finger during our rehearsal and then didn't know that I needed to put a cookie sheet under the pie. It spilled all over my stove and led to smoke in the kitchen.
Fortunately on the day of the show, it all came together and I managed to avoid any further mishaps. We each took a different approach to the top of our pies. Kellee made a lattice work top and Ruth took the extra dough and used heart shaped cookie cutters to cover the top in hearts. I opted to have a full crust cover. I'm not a purist about recipes and it is fun when everyone puts their own spin on it.
The pies all turned out beautifully! Behold the results.
Kellee's husband Gary Pratt is a professional artist and drew this picture of Cary Grant.
If you make this or any of these recipes, feel free to post pictures, tag me and share your creations. Stay tuned, as I'm feverishly working to bring many more episodes your way!