Happy Birthday, Grandma

kitchen misadventures

Today would have been Maxine Musick Wilhoit’s 100^th birthday. If you’d like to read or listen to my fictional version of her 10th birthday, you’ll find it here.

To commemorate Grandma’s birthday, I decided to try one of the recipes she was known for. I remember this dish being on the dessert table at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I only remember watching Grandma make it once. It’s probably been at least twenty years since I’ve tasted it.

If you’ve read any of the “recipes” I’ve posted here, you’ll know that they’re short on specifics. I guess it runs in the family. Below is the recipe, as listed in a family cookbook.

You’ll notice Grandma doesn’t mention that the shortening (I use butter) should be cut into the dry ingredients. She assumed that anyone reading it would recognize a pasty recipe when they saw one. “Fresh fruit” leaves so many options, but I’ve only ever known it with granny smith apples.

Fresh Fruit Pie

Maxine Wilhoit

• 1 c flour

• 1tsp baking soda

• 1/3 c shortening

• 1/3 c milk

• ¼ tsp salt

• 2 c fresh fruit

1. Roll as for jelly roll

2. Melt 1 stick oleo in 11x13 pan

3. Slice roll in 1 inch slices

4. Dissolve 2 c sugar in 2 c water

5. Pour over slices

6. Bake at 350 for 1 hour

First attempt

I followed the original recipe, but panicked after 45 minutes of baking when there was still so much liquid in the pan and I added oatmeal to help soak it up. The result was a cross between apple dumplings and apple crisp. The taste was nostalgic, but it was way too sweet and definitely too soggy for my liking.

Luckily, my son finished it off.

My mom, who also prefers less sweet, less soggy treats, recommended the changes below and I tried again.

Double the pastry recipe.

• 2 c flour

• 2 tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt

• 2/3 c butter

• 2/3 c milk

Only increase the liquids slightly.

• 3 cups granny smith apples, peeled and diced (not too small)

• 2 ½ cups boiling water

• 2 ½ cups sugar

• ¾ cups butter

1. Mix the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter. Then add milk to make dough and divide in half. Roll out the first half into a rectangle, about 9x13 inches. Spread about 1 ½ cups of apple pieces over the rectangle. Roll as you would a cinnamon roll and slice into 1 inch slices. Repeat with the second half of the dough.

1. Dissolve the sugar into the water.

2. Melt 1 stick of butter in an 11x13 inch cake pan and ½ stick in a 9-inch square. Place the ends of each roll in the square pan and the rest into the large pan. Optional, sprinkle a little cinnamon over the rolls.

3. Pour the about 2 cups of the simple syrup over the rolls in the large pan and about ½ cup into the small pan.

4. Bake for 1 hour at 350.

Grandma put her initials on pans so she’d get them back after potlucks and family reunions. I always loved how her initials worked even if you flipped them over.

Still Tweaking

In the end, it was still too soggy for my liking, so I flipped it onto a parchment-covered sheet pan, sprinkled oatmeal over it, and returned it to the oven for another 30 min at 350. The apples are overcooked now, but I think it will be delicious over vanilla ice cream

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Even though the dessert didn’t turn out like I’d hoped, I’ve loved reminiscing about my grandma, exchanging messages with my mom and uncle, and giving my kids a taste of where they’re from.

Next year, I’ll go back to making Grandma’s fudge cake on her birthday.

It’s on the Hershey box if you want to make it, too.

For my grandma, Maxine Wilhoit

November 26, 1924-June 7, 2018