FOOD/DRINK

All-American, presidential apple pie

By Nancy Benac
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Poor Bill Yosses. He's the White House pastry chef. He makes desserts for a living. He works for Barack and Michelle Obama. They talk about healthy eating. All the time.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Not at all.

Yosses' creations — especially his pies — have won over even the Obamas. The president calls him "The Crustmaster." The first lady points to pie-on-demand as one of the big plusses of life at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

"I'm the dark side," Yosses says. "They love our pies."

In truth, Yosses says, there's no contradiction to being the pastry chef for such an avowedly health-conscious first family. "They did reassure me that they love dessert," Yosses says of his first days in the Obama White House. "But they don't want it there for themselves or their children every day."

Yosses, 56, doesn't cook just for the Obamas. His team whips up treats for dozens, hundreds and thousands of guests attending a never-ending stream of parties, receptions and other special events at the White House.

On a visit to the pastry kitchen, Yosses offered an insider's view of the operation.

Menus for close to a dozen coming events were taped to metal shelves. Trays of Halloween cookies were stacked 18 high on a rolling rack. A freshly baked pie shell sat on the marble counter, awaiting its filling. Housekeepers and groundskeepers helped stuff cellophane goody bags for 2,000-plus trick-or-treaters. A tray held dried sugar pieces destined to become part of a circus centerpiece for a still-to-be determined event.

Yosses, in his white jacket and apron, was just back from the South Lawn, where he helped Michelle Obama and schoolchildren harvest vegetables from the first lady's kitchen garden. Earlier, he'd baked oatmeal raisin cookies for the youngsters, the snacks sweetened with maple syrup to avoid refined sugar.

For all that's going on, Yosses never seems to lose his easy manner and broad grin.

"We're kind of used to the idea that, oh, there's going to be 1,200 guests tomorrow," he deadpans.

Yosses, who co-authored "Desserts for Dummies," had been executive pastry chef at a series of top restaurants before he arrived at the White House in January 2007, two years ahead of the Obamas.

Within days of the inauguration, Michelle Obama sat down with the cooking staff to talk about the importance of healthy eating, Yosses said, but she also let it be known that desserts were still welcome on the menu. Now, nine months into the Obama presidency, Yosses can anticipate what will please the family's palates.

Specifics about the first family's tastes are closely held, but some have filtered out. Obama loves pie. Banana cream pie. Huckleberry pie. Fruit pies of all sorts.

When asked in July to reveal a secret about the White House, Obama said this: "The pastry chef makes the best pie I've ever tasted, and that is causing big problems for Michelle and myself. I mean, whatever pie you like, he will make it, and it will be the best pie you've ever eaten."

For all their enthusiasm about pie, the Obamas are disciplined enough to limit pie consumption to about once a week, Yosses says.

And nobody binges from the cookie jar or puts out the call for late-night snacks.

"Nobody's a cookie fan," says Yosses. "No, there's never any raiding."

Bill Yosses' Apple Pie

For the crust

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

11/2 tsp. salt

10 oz. unsalted butter, cold, cut into small chunks

3 oz. lard, cold, cut into small chunks

1/2 cup ice water

For the filling

2 lb. apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

For the egg wash

1 egg

1 tsp. salt

Sugar, for sprinkling

To make the crust, in a food processor pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and lard, then pulse briefly until the mixture forms small crumbs. Add the ice water and pulse just until a dough forms. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape into discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

To prepare the pie shell, on a floured surface roll out one disc to a 14-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased, deep 9-inch pie pan, leaving a 1 inch overhang. Refrigerate the crust in the pan for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

When ready to bake the bottom crust, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the cold crust with foil and fill with baking weights, rice or dry beans to hold it in place. Bake the pie shell for 30 minutes. Leave the oven on once the crust is done.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a large saucepan, toss together the apples, sugar, honey, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon and lemon zest and juice. Let sit for 20 minutes. Bring the fruit mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the fruit thickens. Let cool.

When the bottom crust is baked and the filling has cooled, pour the fruit into the crust. Roll out the second disc of dough to about 12 inches.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with the salt. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg on the edges of the cooked crust. Place the top crust over the filling. Gently crimp the top crust, sealing the pie around the edges. Puncture the top of the crust with a paring knife in several places to create steam vents. Brush egg wash over the crust, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the top crust is golden brown. Let cool for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

— Adapted from a recipe by Bill Yosses, White House pastry chef