Hot Apple Pie 3.07 They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They

“I know the story.” “I’m dancing with Henry Ho-Ho Macafee the third.” “How many people heard me say I know the story?” “And Ho-Ho’s fading, so I’m trying to buck him up, saying ‘Come on, Ho-Ho. Stay with me Ho-Ho,’ and then all of a sudden he starts yelling, ‘Stop calling me Ho-Ho, it’s making me hungry!’” “Oh, hey, look, there goes Tommy Tune.” “And out of nowhere, Kirk comes dancing by, waving a McDonald’s hot apple pie in the air and of course Ho-Ho lunges for the pie and drops my hand and that was it. Kirk wins, I’m out. I’m gonna get that Ho-Ho someday.”

Ingredients:

• 6-7 apples, peeled, cored, and diced (a combination of apples is best. I used honeycrisp and gala)

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp nutmeg

• ½ tsp ginger

• ¼ tsp salt

• 2 sheets of store-bought puff pastry, thawed

• 2 tbsps milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Add the lemon juice to the apples to keep them from browning. Make sure they are all coated.

3. Mix the flour, both sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Stir to fully combine and set aside.

4. Roll out the pastry sheets to about ¼ inch thick and cut out two circles big enough to fit your pie tin.

5. Use cookie cutters or a sharp knife to cut out directions of the remaining pastry. I used one-inch alphabet letters to create my decorations.

6. Place one of the dough circles in your pie tin. Using a rolling pin to transfer the dough helps.

7. Carefully add the apple filling to the pastry. It should be more liquidy as the apples will have released some juice.

8. Cover the filling with the other dough circle. Press the edges of the circles together to seal the crust. Trim off any access pastry that hangs over the edge. Be mindful that the crust will shrink while baking. You can use the trimmings for any additional decorations. I created a plait to wrap around the edge of my pie.

9. Cut 3-4 small slits in the center of the pie to allow steam to escape while baking.

10. Gently brush the top of the pie with the milk. Place your decorations on top, carefully pressing them down to stick to the top layer of pastry. Lightly brush milk onto the decorations.

11. Bake the pie at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Cut the dough so some of it hangs off the edge of the tin.

I have my sister to thank for what I made for this episode. I really didn’t want to have to figure out a way to make the eggless egg salad sandwiches because I don’t particularly like egg salad in the first place. She recently rewatched the show, and when she got to this episode, I asked her to look for food I could make. And that’s how we got to this scene and apple pie! Plus this episode has all those classic American 1940s vibes and an Apple Pie just seems to fit that.

This pie was special, not just because this is one of my favorite episodes, but because I got to share it with people I love. Usually, it’s just me and my sister trying the dishes. Our freezer is packed with leftover Eating Gilmore dishes. But I recently got together with a small group of close friends now that we are all vaccinated for a game night and I brought over my pie. “I just thought, if we’re going to do pie, we might as well do pie.”

I prefer to keep the apples in chunks over slices for the texture.

And yes, I technically “cheated” and used store-bought pastry, but you know, sometimes you just have to break the rules when you have a lot of other things going on. Besides, I have made plenty of pastry dough on this blog already, so I think I’m allowed to cut a few corners. If you want to be authentic, you can make your own puff pastry, but there is no shame in using store-bought. I wanted to do something related to the episode for my pie decorations, but I’m not the most artistic person. I ordered these cute little alphabet-shaped cookie cutters to spell out the name of the episode. After all, it’s a fan favorite!

Like I mentioned, this is one of my favorite episodes. As a former dancer, I’ve always loved the panoramic shots of all the dancers swirling around the gymnasium. We get to see more of Dave being super sweet when he meets Mrs. Kim. Luke and Lorelai have a foreshadowing moment about finding the right person. And, of course, we have Dean and Rory’s relationship coming to a crashing halt in a perfectly written scene.

Add the filling to the bottom crust, but be careful not to fill it too high.

Let’s dive into the episode, shall we? Lorelai is determined to finally beat Kirk at the annual dance marathon. I sometimes forget that this is actually an annual event since it’s the only time we see it or hear it mentioned over the course of the show. And even though Stanley Appleman backs out on Lorelai, she is certain that this year will be her year. I love how close she gets to winning, and it comes down to a drama-filled 10 minutes. While I do love those scenes, there is no way that Luke runs to the diner for glue, comes back and repairs Lorelai’s shoe, Sookie, Jackson, and Lorelai resolve their conflict, Dean breaks up Rory, she leaves and sits on the dock, talks to Jess, and then returns to the gym all within 10 minutes. I know the dock is right behind the school, but does Rory sit there for just 2 minutes and then return immediately?

I used alphabet cookie cutters to cut my pastry.

Getting into her breakup with Dean, it finally happens! While I don’t like that Dean breaks up with her in front of a lot of people, he (rightfully so) reaches his breaking point of watching Rory fawn over Jess. I had to defend Dean on my Instagram story this week. Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not Team Dean. However, I think he gets unfairly attacked by a lot of the fan base. Yes, he has several flaws and can be really annoying. And, of course, the cheating on his wife is really bad. But Dean does have good qualities and I think he was a great first boyfriend for Rory. It’s just frustrating to me that Dean gets all of this hate when Rory’s other boyfriends also have major red flags about them, too.

If you have any extra pastry, you can create a braid to go around the pie.

Speaking of boyfriends, we need to take a moment to talk about Dave. I adore him in this episode (let’s face it, I love him in every episode he’s in). He fully understands that he needs Mrs. Kim’s approval in order to be with Lane. What I like so much about his scene with Mrs. Kim is that he’s not being manipulative or conniving to be in her good graces. He’s being his genuine and authentic self. I will literally never forgive the O.C. for taking away Adam Brody!

I enjoyed my pie with a dollop of whipped cream.

Unfortunately, Lorelai loses the dance marathon yet again. I really wished they would have had the dance marathon again in A Year in the Life just so Lorelai could finally win her trophy. Obviously, I want to see my girl win, but this is the best thing in Kirk’s life before he meets Lulu, so I suppose it’s okay that he wins. I do love the juxtaposition of him taking his victory lap while Lorelai comforts a crying Rory all while the Rocky theme song plays.

Is this one of your favorite episodes of Gilmore Girls too? What is your favorite scene?

Happy Cooking from the Hollow!

Apple pie, get it while it's hot!

If you missed what I made last week, catch up here!