DUTCH APPLE PIE
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Apple pie is an American dish and is a part of many family’s regular desserts, but no one could make an apple pie like my grandma. As soon as you walked through the screen door into her house you immediately knew if you were having apple pie for dessert. The aroma and warmth from the oven would hit your face as soon as you stepped foot into the house. Sometimes my dad and I could even smell it before we opened the door! We would walk into the warm house giving hugs and hellos and our eyes would immediately turn to the oven, where if we were lucky enough we could open it and get a good whiff of that intoxicating aroma. We’d sit down and have a traditional home cooked meal, everyone chopping at the bit for dessert. But we would have to wait for everyone to finish before my grandma would go to the oven and take out the warm, decadent pie. My grandpa sitting next to me would nudge my arm and point to the freezer and I would jump out of my seat to go get the French vanilla ice-cream to complete the dessert. Grandma would then cut the pie, and for all the years I can remember she could never hit the middle, so the pieces would never be perfect; but then again they didn’t have to be. She would go around the table and ask what size piece we wanted, and it was one of three choices: a sliver, normal or big. She would move the knife and hold it right above where she would cut and you had the chance to give her the go ahead nod or say bigger or smaller. Although the request for a smaller piece of pie was never honored because everyone could always use a little more pie. And you can bet everyone always ate all they received. She then would put the pie on a little paper plate and hand it Grandpa who would put two scoops of French vanilla ice cream on it and hand it to whomever it belonged. You’d get your plate with big eyes and a watering mouth as you prepare to dig in. The ice cream would be just starting to melt with the warm pie adding just the right amount of flavor. You’d take your fork, get a piece of pie with crust and crumbles and a little bit of ice cream and put it in your mouth all at once. As your tongue met the food your shoulders would slump and you’d let out a sigh of satisfaction. Now that is an apple pie.
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