Yesterday was President’s Day in the United States. Prior to 1971, it was known as George Washington’s Birthday and celebrated on the 22nd of February. The change to the 3rd Monday, was a result of the 1971 Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The federal government moved several holidays to Mondays to create three-day weekends (allegedly for the benefit of working citizens.)
I mention this, because I remember celebrating Washington’s Birthday as a kid. My Mom always baked us a cherry pie in honor of George Washington’s honesty. For those not familiar with the story here it is…
Supposedly, as a child George Washington received a hatchet as a gift. He then decided to test it out, on his father’s prized cherry tree. When his father saw the damage, he angerly confronted young George. George valiantly stated ““I cannot tell a lie…I did cut it with my hatchet.” Young George’s response transformed his father’s anger to instant pride in his son’s honesty.
However, this story of honesty is dishonest. It was made up by Parson Weem, in the biography he wrote about Washington entitled “The Life of Washington.” Weem, used the much beloved President’s life to give readers what they wanted, an exceptional story about the character of a great leader. (Weem could have been a modern-day politician.)
That is why she baked us a cheery pie, to help instill the value of honesty in her children. At some point she stopped making cherry pies because the recipe was lost during a move. She tried for several years to recreate it to no avail. (I wonder now if how incredible the pie tasted was just a memory that no other pie could ever live up to.)
So, last week she was reminiscing about the cherry pie tradition. I told her we could start a new cherry pie tradition, if she liked. She eagerly agreed that would be a promising idea. I then told her I would find a recipe we could bake together, on Presidents Day.
On Monday, I arrived with a homemade pie crust, a couple of cans of cherry pie filling, some oranges, and some heavy whipping cream. I wanted to make the baking as easy as possible for her, because her Parkinson’s has deteriorated her fine motor skills and she tires very easily.
As I rolled out the pie crust, she grated the orange to create orange zest. She then mixed the cherry pie filling and orange zest. This was my sister the chef’s recommendation.
Next, I gave her the flour and brown sugar to blend together. I added the butter to create the crumb topping. I placed the filling in the crust, topped it with the crumb topping, covered the crust with tinfoil, then popped it into the oven. Set the timer for 20 minutes, so I could pull the tinfoil off and let the crust brown.
By this time my Mom was ready for a nap. I settled her in her recliner with her warmed neck heated pad for her nap. As soon as she heard the kitchen timer go off she was ready to get up and try the pie. I told her she had to wait because it was still cooking. Disappointment filled her eyes. I explained the buzzer was to let me know to remove the tinfoil, so the crust could brown.
Clearly, this eased her disappointment as she replied “yes, we want a beautiful golden brown crust, but not to dark,” I told her once the pie was done she would get her shower. Then we would eat lunch and the pie would be cool enough to cut, but still slightly warm for dessert.
Once the lunch plates were quickly whisked into the dishwasher, it was pie time! But, first a picture with our glorious creation.
It was amazing with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Mom wants to bake another one soon. Next time I will make a white chocolate whipped cream.
We plan on baking together once a week. It is a fantastic way to keep her engaged and active during the winter when it is hard to get her out of the house.
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