“You might as well have some sweets. I made them for the festival after all.”
-Bendt, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, “Tending the Flames”
Nothing fits more firmly in the Holiday Season in the United States than Apple Pie, it’s so ubiquitous as a staple in American foods that it’s hard to imagine it in any other setting. And yet, sitting there on Bendt’s counter during the Burning of King Olaf is a row of ostensibly fresh baked apple pies. Where do apple pies fit in the pseudo-medieval fantasy setting of Skyrim? Actually, the humble apple pie can be traced back, at least, to the 14th Century manuscript “The Forme of Cury,” or translated, The Method of Cooking. This apple pie recipe in many ways doesn’t resemble a modern apple pie, calling for apples, figs, pears, raisins, and spices and being cooked within a coffyn, an inedible pastry shell.
The next known apple pie recipe is from “A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye,” the oldest edition of which can be dated to 1545. This recipe in some way more closely resembles a modern apple pie, with the addition of quince, as well as apples, cinnamon, ginger, and sugar. Building off of these two recipes, I took a little liberty in the development of my own apple pie recipe, hoping to please the modern palates of my roommates for Thanksgiving. Considering that Skyrim is still a fantasy world, and that the Apple Pies found throughout the fictional country resemble a modern latticed apple pie more than a medieval one, I built off of the latter of the two apple pie recipes mentioned with considerations for modern palates and Skyrim imagery.
To start, you will need a double batch of my previous recipe, Grammy’s Butter Crust, chilled overnight as two separate rounds.
Start with 4-5 Honeycrisp apples (4 large apples or 5 medium) and 4 Quince. Peel, core, and slice the apples and quince into 1/4 inch thick slices. You’ll want to wind up with 8-9 cups of sliced fruit. If they start to oxidize and brown a little in the air, it’s fine, they’ll change color in the oven anyway. Add your apple and quince slices to a large bowl and assemble the rest of the ingredients for the filling: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp coarse kosher salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg, 1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, and 1/4 cup dark brown sugar. Add everything to the fruit and turn with your hands until everything is thoroughly mixed together.
Set aside the filling mix and lay down wax paper over your workspace. Lightly flour the wax paper and roll out the first round of butter crust until it is about 1/6th inch thick. I find flipping the pie dough a few times during rolling and redusting my rolling pin as necessary helps to prevent it from sticking while maintaining an even thickness.
Using the wax paper, flip your pastry dough into a pie pan. Push down along the sides to make sure that the dough fills in any possible bubbles, and use your thumbs to push along the edges. Using a sharp paring knife, cut away any excess dough. Use a fork to pierce the bottom of the crust in several spots to avoid possible air bubbles during baking. For this recipe I used this cast iron pie pan (please note this is an affiliate link) that I have subsequently fallen in love with. It gives a perfect even brown crust every time!
Stir the fruit filling to ensure that the juices that have formed evenly coat every piece of fruit, and pour it into the pie pan. If it domes up a little over the edge of the pie pan that’s totally okay.
Now it’s time to make a lattice top crust with the remaining dough round. If you’ve never made a lattice crust it’s a lot easier than it looks. Start by rolling out the pastry dough on lightly floured wax paper until it is about 1/6th inch thick again. Using a large knife, cut the dough into 1/2 inch strips. Lay half of the strips across the top of the pie facing one direction (imagine window blinds). Fold over backwards every other strip of dough and lay one strip across the middle (as shown in the second photo in the top row). Lay the folded strips back out straight, and fold back the opposing set of horizontal strips. Lay down another strip of dough and keep repeating this alternate weave until you have finished one half of the pie. Then repeat the process working from the middle on the other half of the pie. When you have finished weaving your lattice top, push down with your fingertips along the edge of the pan to form a seal, and use a sharp paring knife to cut away any excess dough. Finally, take a fork and press along the edges to ensure a perfect seal.
Lastly, brush the top of the finished pie with milk, and sprinkle coarse sugar over the top. This will help to brown the top and make it pleasantly sweet as well. If you cannot find sparkling or coarse sugar, demerara or turbinado sugar makes a suitable substitute. Refrigerate the pie for 20-30 minutes, and in the meantime preheat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the lower third of the oven.
After 30 minutes, bake the pie at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the pie for 50-60 minutes longer (if using cast iron) or 40-50 minutes (if using an aluminum or ceramic pie tin). Check on the pie about halfway through the baking time to make sure the crust isn’t browning too fast, and if it is loosely tent the pie with tinfoil. You’ll know the pie is done when the inside is bubbling a little bit and the top crust is golden brown. Allow the pie to cool at room temperature for at least two hours before serving. Serve with Black Tea or Metheglin and a sense for adventure. After serving, leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for up to five days.
This recipe was part of my 2020 Elder Scrolls Thanksgiving Feast. (Held with only the members of my household, all of whom were unable to be home with their families due to the COVID Pandemic).
Skyrim Apple Pie
A medieval apple pie straight from the food stalls of Skyrim to your Holiday table.
Ingredients
-4 Large Honeycrisp Apples-4 Quince
-1 Double Batch of Grammy’s Butter Crust (chilled overnight as two rounds)
-1 tsp Cinnamon
-1 tsp Ginger
-1 tsp Cardamom
-1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
-1/2 tsp Freshly Grate Nutmeg
-1 tsp Vanilla Extract
-1/4 Cup Flour
-1/4 Cup White Sugar
-1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
-1 Tbsp Whole Milk
-2 tsp Coarse Sugar
Directions
- Gather your ingredients. Peel, core, and slice apples and quince into 1/4 inch thick slices.
- Mix sliced fruit, spices, vanilla, sugars, and flour in a large bowl with your hands until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- Roll out first round of Butter Pastry Dough over lightly floured wax paper. Transfer into pie pan using the wax paper to lift. Push out any air bubbles and ensure the dough is evenly distributed in the pan. Using fingertips push along the edges to create an even crust. Cut away excess dough using a sharp knife. Pierce bottom of pie in several places using a fork to ensure no air bubbles form.
- Stir fruit filling to ensure it is well combined and pour into prepared pie pan.
- Build lattice crust (see instructions above).
- Brush top of pie with milk, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Set pie aside to chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- After chilling, bake pie for 20 minutes at 400 Degrees, then reduce temperature to 350 Degrees. Bake for 50-60 minutes if using cast iron, or 40-50 minutes if using an aluminum pie tin. Check midway through and tent with tinfoil if browning too quickly. Allow to cool for at least two hours at room temperature before serving.
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