Tracing the family tree can bring pleasant surprises. I came in contact with a cousin I never knew existed. Though we have never met face to face, we have corresponded and now we are also in contact with one of her daughters. Doris’s daughter Susan has provided the recipe and some of the history that goes with it. For as long as Susan can remember, this dessert has been on the table at family meals and get-togethers. As a child Susan remembers learning to make it under her mother’s watchful eye.

More of a shortbread crust than a regular pie crust and hence, I would guess, is why it is called French Apple Slices

• Dough:
• 4 cups flour
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Filling:
• 4 20-ounce cans plain apples*
• 2 heaping tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 3 sticks butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. For the dough, sift flour and salt together; cut in butter like pie crust (the dough should be soft but not sticky). Mix yolks, water and lemon juice. Make a well in the dough and add yolk mixture. Mix well with hands.

   

2. Divide dough in half and roll out on floured board to fit greased cookie sheet. Make fluted edges to keep in juices. Place filling on top of dough.

   

3. For top layer, roll dough in oblong shape, fold in half lengthwise and cut slashes; fold to make 4ths; cover apples with top layer. Bake at 375º for 1 hour or until golden. Drizzle glaze over hot slices

   

4. To make glaze: mix powdered sugar, vanilla and a little hot milk together.

The recipe calls for hand cutting in the butter. We used the stand mixer with good results.

* Apple slices (sliced apples packed in water, un-spiced) are not always easy to find. A regional product or commercial food service product, they are often found in 20-ounce and sometimes 104-ounce cans. They can sometimes be found in the warehouse stores or on the Internet, usually at E-Bay.

Doris Andersen Chambers (left) – loving mother to her children and friend to all she met. Doris spent many years volunteering in the local hospital bringing a caring touch to those suffering from accident or illness. She was a beautiful person and dearly missed.