Apple pie

it's just under 6 months until I'm eligible to apply for US Citizenship. Assuming I can pass the exam on American History and the Constitution and the English language test (I may be able to claim the age exemption on the language test ) I'll be a US Citizen somewhere from 12 to 18 months from now.

I'm not sure I'll make a good citizen . The problem is I can't stand American apple pie. I like apple pie; just not as she is made and served in the USA. Here apple pie contains cinammon - indeed, to my palate, cinammon is the dominant flavour. And it's served with ice-cream! Yechhh. As if the cinammon weren't enough they have to go and serve it with a flavour that just doesn't match! If there's one place in the world I don't want a battle it's on my plate.

My perfect apple pie is made with flaky pastry and fresh apples cooked with just enough sugar to mitigate the tartness of the apple. The pie itself is brushed with a little milk and sprinkled with sugar just before it enters the oven. It's served with unsweetened whipped cream! The idea is that the flavour of the apple dominates.

I've never actually tried to bake an apple pie the way I like it here. I've never had much success with pastry. You can't buy (at least not at the supermarkets I've visited here) bulk pie apple without the cinammon already included. Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me to discover that American apples are genetically engineered to include the cinammon flavour .

This is a generational thing in Australia. I mentioned this to some 20something workmates back in 2002 and they expressed puzzlement. To them apple pie should contain cinammon. Of course, they were born after McDonalds invaded and they're used to Hot Apple Pie as fast food. I have to confess that I actually do like McDonalds Hot Apple Pie and I've eaten quite a few of them in my time, but then again I don't consider McDonalds to be real food.

So now the question must be on your lips. Do I like cinammon at all? Of course I do! But not in apple pie or in schnapps either if it comes to that! But a nice cinammon doughnut can be the perfect acommpaniement to strong coffee. Or cinammon and sugar sprinkled on hot buttered toast!