Apple Pie Competition (1917).
During 1917 the Sunday Times ran an apple pie competition. The prize was a case of apples from the Lilydale Orchard near Bridgetown. "Mr. W. C Knight of Lilydale, Greenbushes has kindly offered to present a CASE OF APPLES, railage paid to the lady sending in the BEST RECIPE: APPLE PIE. Address all letters to Recipe. Editor of "The Sunday Times." Closing date April 18" (Sunday Times, 8 April, 1917).
Women from around the state and Subiaco shared their apple pie recipes. The first prize was won by Mrs. A. Boland, of Western-street, Victoria Park. Mrs. C. E. Hewett, 152 Heytesbury-road, Subiaco and Mrs. Exley, 265 Hamersley-road, Subiaco, a regular contributor to the Sunday Times recipe and household hints competition received honourable mentions and had their recipes published in the newspaper. Their recipes are published below.
The following description of the Lilydale Orchard was published in 1916 ..."Lilydale Orchard. - A visit to the splendid property of Mr W.C. Knight on the main road to Bridgetown was a revelation in orchardery. The whole place from the packing sheds adjacent to the road to the farthest corner of 50 odd acres showed signs of thorough management. The ground between the trees was clean and well worked, whilst the trees themselves were in first class order. At the time of our representative's visit, Mr Knight and his staff were busy picking and packing the early apples "Irish Peach". They had just finished the early stone fruit and Mr Knight had managed to secure as high 26s per case in Perth for some splendid peaches." (Bunbury Herald, 18 January 1916).
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Sunday Times, 29 April, 1917.
Apple Pie Competition.
First prize, case of apples, presented by Mr. W. C. Knight. Lilydale, Greenbushes, and won by Mrs. A. Boland, Weston-street, Victoria Park East.
Make a good short-crust with the following:-Two cups self-raising flour, one heaped tablespoon each of lard and butter, one dessertspoon sugar, and a pinch of salt rubbed well together; add a little water to make a light dough. Roll out thin and line a plate cover well with sliced apples, with a little candied lemon peel and sugar added. Cover with paste and bake in a moderate oven 15 to 20 minutes.
HONORABLE MENTION.
Peel and core 2 lb. of Knight's apples, stew gently, add pinch of salt, and a little nutmeg. When done beat to a pulp and let cool. Take two cups of S.R. flour, one cup of good beef dripping, and a little salt. Mix to a nice smooth dough with a little water, roll out to a firm thickness. Line your pie-dish, add apples when cool, cover and cook in a moderate oven for 20 minutes. Mrs. King, Kirupp.
Take 1lb. flour, ¾ lb. butter, ¼ lb. sugar, two teaspoonfuls cinnamon. Mix the dry ingredients together, rub in the butter, and mix with a little more than a tablespoonful of water. Butter a sandwich tin and line with half the pastry, then fill with stewed apples. Put a layer of pastry on top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle top with castor sugar and serve with whipped cream or custard. - Miss Minnie Kearney, 231 St. George's-terrace, Perth.
Take 1 ½ Cleopatra apples, peel, core and slice. Put in a saucepan and cover with water, add three to six cloves and small cup sugar. Stew from ten to fifteen minutes, then place in a piedish and cover with a crust. Place in a quick oven until golden brown. When cooked sift a little castor sugar over crust. To make crust take ½ lb. self-raising flour, 4 oz. lard or butter, mix thoroughly, add a little water and mix into a paste, then roll out very thinly. Mrs.E. Thomas, Briton-street, Cottesloe.
Peel and core 3 lb. or 4 lb. of good cooking apples, then slice them up. Put them in a stewpan to cook slowly for quarter of an hour, add sugar to taste, and a few cloves added to the apples give them a nice flavor. Add a little water, but not enough to make it sloppy. When cooked take off the fire to cool a little before putting in the pie-dish. Paste: Cream ½ lb. butter, ¼ lb. dripping, a little sugar, 1 egg, 1 lb. of flour, a pinch of salt. Make into a light dough and roll out. Make a double edge round the dish with the crust. Bake in a moderate oven till nicely brown. Mrs. Carpenter, Hammond-street, Cottesloe.
Peel, core and cut finely sufficient apples to fill dish, sweeten and flavor with nutmeg. If apples are very hard it is best to stew them first. Puff Pastry: 8 oz. butter, 10 oz. flour, white of 1 egg, pinch salt. Take flour and salt, rub quarter of the butter in, mix with cold water, and spread quarter more of the butter. Then stand in the coolest place over-night. Next morning spread the rest of the butter, each time brushing with white of an egg which has been beaten to a stiff froth. Roll out pastry about ½ in. thick and put over the apple; crimp edges and place in a brisk oven at first to raise the pastry. - Mrs. C. E. Hewett, 152 Heytesbury-road, Subiaco.
Take and stew enough apples to fill a pie-dish, adding sugar and flavoring to taste, and a little water if necessary. Pastry: Take ½ lb. flour, ¼ lb. butter or dripping, a pinch of salt, half teaspoonful baking powder, water to mix. Mix baking powder and salt with the flour, rub in the dripping or butter lightly with tips of the fingers. Mix to a stiffish dough, roll out, and fold over two or three times. Mode: Fill the pie-dish with fruit, make pastry and spread over top, and decorate your edges with a handle of a spoon or knife. Put into the oven and bake a nice brown. Sprinkle with fine sugar. This may be served with cream or custard. -Mrs. C. Becker, Greenhills, Wagin.
Take as many apples as required for the pie, peel, core and cut into quarters; put into a preserving pan with enough sugar to sweeten, a few cloves, a little cinnamon (if liked) and cook until tender. Make a paste of 4 oz. of self-raising flour, pinch of salt, 2 oz. of lard, and cold water. Rub the lard very finely into the flour with the tips of the fingers, then add the salt and a very little cold water. Mix with a knife, knead the pastry into a ball very lightly, place on a floured board and roll out (once only) lightly until it is the thickness of one-eighth of an inch. Put the apples into pie-dish and cover with the pastry, making a hole in the top of both sides to keep the juice from running out. This makes a very nice apple pie. - Mrs. Devenish, Clifton-street, Bunbury.
Ingredients: 2 lb. apples, ½ lb. sugar, two tablespoonfuls water, 1 lb. self-raising flour, ½ lb. lard, water, paste. Mode: Divide the lard into flour, rub one part into flour, then add cold water to make a light dough; mix with a knife, roll out the paste, and spread with another portion of lard. Sprinkle with flour, roll up, and then roll out twice, each time using another portion of lard. Put away in a cold place for two hours before using. Dripping or butter may be used in the place of lard. Peel and core the apples, cut in slices and stew gently with the sugar and water twenty minutes. Line the piedish with paste. Put in the apples, cover with paste, and bake in a quick oven until nice and brown. Dust with icing sugar before sending to table. - Mrs. Exley, 265 Hamersley-road, Subiaco.
Ingredients: Three cooking apples, 2 oz. sugar, 3 cloves, a little grated lemon rind, 1 tablespoonful water, 4 oz. flaky pastry. Method: Peel, quarter and core the apples and drop into cold water; put into pie-dish, adding sugar, cloves and grated rind in layers; heap up well towards centre and then make pastry; roll it into shape of pie-dish and one inch bigger; cut a strip off all round, then wet dish and lay the strip on cut edge outward; brush with water and put the remainder of pastry on; trim the edges, cutting with a sharp knife; glaze with white of egg on water and sugar. Bake in a hot oven until brown about twenty minutes. When cooked the fruit should steam well. Serve on a plate with a pie-collar round. Sprinkle with icing sugar. - Essie Craig, 117 King-street, East Fremantle.
Western Mail, 29 April 1917.
Sunday Times, 18 June 1911.
Daily News, 27 October 1936.
