Cooking with Grandkids
Easy as Pie O
ne of the first cooking skills that I ever learned was how to make pastry and bake apple pie. My parents are both great cooks, but desserts and pastries aren’t really their cup of tea. So it was one of my neighbours who taught me how to make a pie when I was eight years old. She invited me over one Saturday afternoon and asked me to bring my apron. We went through the whole process, making the pastry from scratch, then using it to bake apple pies. The afternoon even included a neighbourhood hike while we waited for the dough to chill. And at the end of the day, I was incredibly proud to bring home a freshly baked pie.
Emillie Parrish loves having adventures with her two busy children. You can find more of her recipes in her recently released cookbook Fermenting Made Simple. fermentingforfoodies.com 22
GRAND
A few months later, my older brother enlisted my help in making a lemon meringue pie for my parents wedding anniversary. I made the crust, he made the filling and the feeling of our shared success was palpable. Now it is my son who routinely asks if he can bake a pie. And we all love freshly baked homemade apply pie Here are a few reasons to consider sharing some pastry-making skills: • Rubbing butter or shortening into flour is really fun. Even little kids can enjoy getting their fingers into the dough. • Since pies are not usually time-sensitive, they are perfect for older kids to make on their own. As long as they have an afternoon with nothing else to do, they can bake a pie! • Pies are really forgiving. While there’s a few fussy techniques, ultimately, simply mixing up all the right ingredients will result in a delicious treat! An award-winning pie crust is not required. Here is a simplified apple pie recipe. Perfect for teaching pastry-making skills to all the grandchildren in your life. grandmag.ca
