Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Baking as a Feminist Act, Part II: Kiss the Cook

It seems I'm not the only one baking as a feminist act! On October 10th, political funnyman Stephen Colbert (of The Colbert Report) interviewed feminist activists Gloria Steinam and Jane Fonda - in the kitchen.

Steinam and Fonda appeared on the Colbert Report to advertise their new radio/telecast network for women, GreenStone Media, which arose in response to American womens' disinterest in regular talk radio. The name of the station comes from a short story by reknowned author Alice Walker titled "Finding the Greenstone," where "the green stone stays lit only as long as the owner is true to her authentic self" (GreenStone FAQ); the station describes itself as being "about honesty, fairness and ethics." GreenStone features female hosts, a women's news and media center, an online discussion forum, and coverage of issues ranging from world politics to child raising. Click below to watch Gloria and Jane get in the kitchen with Stephen Colbert and teach him that feminism is as American as apple pie.



After seeing this amazing clip, I couldn't resist baking my own Feminist Apple Pie with extra cinnamon! This is an easy pie for the modern woman (yes, I used pre-made pastry dough) full of tart and flavorful Honeycrisp apples that retain a pleasant crunch even after baking.

Feminist Apple Pie

INGREDIENTS

Juice of 1 small lemon, plus apple juice to make 1/4 cup total liquid
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp butter at room temperature
4-5 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced into wedges
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2 refrigerated ready-made piecrusts
1 egg for brushing, lightly beaten
Sugar and "more cinnamon" for dusting

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F. Soak raisins in just enough boiling water to cover them.

Combine lemon juice mixture, sugar, spices and butter in a bowl. Add cornstarch an mix thoroughly, breaking up any lumps. Pour mixture over apples and toss to coat.

Place one piecrust in a 9" pie pan and fill with mixture. Lay second crust over top of mixture; pinch edges to fasten to bottom crust. Brush top of pie with egg and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Cut small vents in dough with a sharp knife. Bake 55 minutes or until golden brown, rotating pie halfway through baking.

Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah!!! I loved watching TV on today's blog! It was nice to see the old broads (we go back a long way). Some things never change... the desire for a slice of fresh apple pie and Gloria and Jane are three of them.:) Good post.

ThursdayNext said...

Ooo this looks yummy! I am on a strict diet, so no pie for me. Yesterday my sister made a cinnamon apple cake that was a Cooking Light recipe. It was amazing...too good to be lowfat!

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup stick margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups chopped peeled Rome apple (about 2 large)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.
Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes

Anonymous said...

Haha, ask Jeremy about the "apple pie" he and I baked last year for Thanksgiving. Actually, I think I might have photo proof... I'll dig around. You will laugh. At us. Directly and unabashedly. :)

GS said...

I loved the clip and the pie doesn't look too bad too. Feminism with a hefty springling of cinnamon never fails to gladden my heart :)

Kate B. said...

love to see you back and blogging again! i will kiss colbert, steinam or fonda anyday. love the clip.

Anonymous said...

I love it! Feminist apple pie with extra cinnamon ... DELICIOUS!

Anonymous said...

absolutely beautiful! zesty!

Anonymous said...

Jane managed to shock Steven Colbert! How fantastically funny.

Anonymous said...

Oh, man, Kate. I made this pie twice this weekend (once for a halloween party and once for my cast party) and it came out amazing both times. So easy and awesome. AND the Colbert segment inspired me to be a feminist housewife as a costumes.
Cheers!
Alexis

Kate Croft said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

hooray! thanks for making my pie =) I can't wait to see pictures of your costume... love ya =)

annulla said...

Excellent clip, great inspiration for a pie.

Questions about those pre-made crusts:

1) Are they really good?
2) Where (other than amazon) are they sold?

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