Mini-Apple Jam Pies

Chapter 3: Dragon Evolution


Now you may be asking yourself, why was the last dragon sighting over one hundred years ago? Well, dragons, being the devilishly clever creatures they are, realized that there are actually some things that human bodies are actually made for. No, not that. Dragons realized that humans are very very good at cooking! Dragons, due to their claws and limited arm length, mostly cook through their fiery breath. As you can imagine, this tends to have two results: burnt or raw. Neither are particularly appetizing but they were hard pressed to cook using other methods up there in their caves.

Dragons noted begrudgingly that humans don’t starve very often and they don’t seem to consume burnt or raw foods so they must have something figured out. One day our very own mountain dragon decided to see what was going on food wise in the puny human village. As you may recall, dragons can take human form, however there are a few challenges and limitations associated with said form. The first limitation is that the dragon must be in dragon form for the majority of the day, or they risk getting stuck as a human, something no dragon would view as a positive change.

The second limitation is how bad dragons are at being human. They only attempt when necessary due to hunger or boredom, and they generally stick out and are discovered due to their smoky scent and lack of human knowledge. The third limitation is that dragons are generally mean spiteful creatures. This means that they have very short tempers and are used to being the most fearsome creature around. As a human, they must either learn to act with some degree of humility or they, inevitably, lose their temper, turn back into a dragon and kill whichever poor soul dared cross their path that day.

Our clever dragon saw these challenges, weighed them with his desire to eat food that wasn’t burnt, and decided he could conquer them as he conquers everything in the way of his happiness, swiftly and with ease. “Operation Better Food” was born….. He was maybe over confident.

One year later, he was ready. After several failed attempts and disguises, our dragon discovered that travelers passing through were always suspicious, but a young man looking to settle in the village and work hard was always welcome. He even discovered that if his human form was deemed “attractive” to the local mothers with marriageable daughters, he would be invited over for free food!To counter the sulfur smell, he needed a job around fire such as a blacksmith or a cook. Finally, in order to fit in with modern customs, he spent the past year observing and mimicking the local speech and dress patterns. Our dragon only needed one more thing to begin “Operation Better Food”: a human name.

Now we have until now only referred to our dragon as the dragon because dragon names are notoriously difficult for humans to pronounce. Something about the hiss-like sounds formed by the dragon tongue gives humans pause. So our dragon’s name would not do. No, he needed a nice, human name to blend in with the locals and he decided from henceforth he shall be known as: Svend. He enjoyed the irony that his name meant “young man” when he was in reality anything but.

Svend wandered in on a sunny afternoon and went straight to the blacksmith to see about work. The blacksmith was, thankfully, short handed as he had just hammered his thumb something fierce. He was eager to make up for lost time, and didn’t even mind Svend’s lack of training, as long as he was strong and willing to put in the work. Now dragons are, obviously, as strong as can be so Svend was hired on the spot. As part of his job he was allotted a small room in the attic of the blacksmith’s barn that he would, of course, never use as it was not nearly big enough or private enough for him to revert to his dragon form. He cautiously informed the blacksmith that he enjoyed nature and privacy and he would be building himself a little hut in the woods, thank you kindly.

Svend was all set to infiltrate the human world. Luckily, the blacksmith’s wife was an excellent cook and took pity on the new help. She invited him to join them for dinner for the foreseeable future and Svend was as happy as a female dragon in heat! The first night the blacksmith’s wife made a delicious pot roast (not burned or raw!!) with potatoes, carrots and most importantly, dessert! Svend had never been so delighted by food in his considerably long life! The dessert she made was a darling little mini-apple jam pie. Here is the recipe she made.

Mini-Apple Jam Pie Recipe:


Pie Crust Ingredients:

  • 3 cups flour

  • 1 cup shortening

  • 1 ½ tsp salt

  • ¼ cup vinegar

  • Bowl of ice water


Method:

  1. Combine flour, shortening, and salt in a bowl. Break up shortening with a pastry cutter until it is all little pea sized balls that are covered in flour.

  2. Combine the vinegar and the ice water

  3. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in about a half cup of the vinegar/water mixture.

  4. Combine with hands, gradually adding water until the dough forms a soft ball.

  5. Chill in fridge for 30 mins

  6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

  7. Prepare a large muffin tin by spraying the bottom of each space with oil.

  8. Roll out the dough and cut with a small bowl.

  9. Place each circle of dough in each muffin spot. Shape so it fits the muffin spot.

  10. Poke the bottom about three times with a fork. Trim the edges of the dough so it doesn’t overflow.

  11. Bake for about 10 mins and set aside.


Apple Filling Ingredients:

  • 6 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (I used a combination of granny smith and whatever snacking apples I had around)

  • ½ cup Brown sugar

  • Cinnamon

  • Ginger

  • Nutmeg


Method:

  1. Place all the peeled, cored, and chopped apples in a bowl.

  2. Add your spices and brown sugar.

*I have not included any measurements for the spices because I just add them until it makes a nice brown coating and smells delicious. Brown sugar measurement is an approximation, you can add more or less depending on your desired level of sweetness. I like these not too sweet so I can eat the leftovers for breakfast!*

  1. Mix and set aside


Jam Filling Ingredients:

  • One bag of frozen mixed berries

  • Cinnamon to taste

  • ½ cup of sugar

  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch


Method:

  1. Throw all ingredients into a medium saucepan.

  2. Cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally

  3. Once the mixture is more liquid than solid, scoop out some (¼ cup) liquid into small cup

  4. Let liquid cool slightly and add cornstarch. Mix thoroughly.

  5. Turn off the heat on the berries and add the cornstarch stuff

  6. Turn heat back on and bring to a boil. Boil for about one minute.

  7. Lower heat and simmer until it looks like jam. Set aside.

*You could also just use store bought jam*


Crumble Topping Ingredients:

  • 2 cups oat, divided

  • Cinnamon

  • Nutmeg

  • Ginger

  • ½ cup brown sugar

  • ½ cup butter


Method:

  1. Separate out one cup of oats and blend until flour consistency

*This is for a gluten free option, you can also just use a cup of flour instead of ground oats*

  1. Combine all oats and spices and sugar

  2. Cut butter into small chunks and add to oat mixture


Final Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

  2. Place a tablespoon of jam on the bottom of each pic crust cup.

  3. Place ¼ cup of apple filling on top of each jammy bottom

  4. Top with a generous scoop of crumble.

  5. Bake at 350 for about 40 mins, or until the jam starts to bubble up and look delicious.

  6. Serve warm or cold, by itself or with ice cream.

*For true gluten free option, make without pie crust at the bottom*