Mom and Apple Pie

What could be more evocative of the comfort and coziness of Thanksgiving than a mom, making pie? At Arch Rock Fish, owner Jeremiah Higgins’s mom, Franny, takes to the kitchen every Sunday, baking a small batch of delicious apple pies to last the week. (File under: How Adorable Can You Get?)

“The feedback was people felt good knowing it was a mom’s apple pie,” said Franny. “It was also interesting working with the younger servers; it seemed like a feel-good thing. Like they liked having me there. It’s the kind of response mothers try to produce in others; and I hadn’t thought about or expected that.

“Pie crust is something people shy away from, like it’s scary, but the refrigerated ones don’t taste anything like homemade. The recipe that got me over the hump is the one I use. If you want, I’ll share it.” Want.

4 cups flour

1¾ cups unsalted butter

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

4 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 egg

½ cup ice water

Measure flour, salt, and sugar into a large bowl. Cut butter into pea-size cubes. Blend into flour mixture with fingers. Beat egg in a small bowl, adding vinegar and water. Combine with flour mixture and scoop all into a plastic bag. Refrigerate 45 minutes to an hour. Make a disc of the dough and place in center of floured board. Roll into a circle to fit a 10-inch pie pan. This recipe will make three single 10-inch pies.