A New Hampshire politician and the fourteenth president.
Family or White House tradition
New Hampshire fried apple pies appear in the Pierce family’s culinary tradition. Our version uses fresh apples and oven baking, keeping the folded individual pastry while simplifying preparation.
The president & the table
Pierce family culinary traditions lead to New Hampshire’s plain cooking, including fried pies made with dried apples. Drying preserved the harvest and made an apple filling possible beyond the fresh-fruit season.
Behind this story
Pierce family and regional food traditions in presidential culinary histories.
APRON ON. HISTORY CAN WAIT.
Make it at home.
Our home adaptation · Serves 6 · Not yet kitchen-tested
What you’ll need
Let’s make it
Cook apples, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a skillet for 8–10 minutes until softened and fairly dry. Stir in lemon juice and cool.
Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Roll the pastry and cut six circles about 15 cm / 6 in wide.
Put filling on one half of each circle, leaving a border. Brush the border with a little egg, fold and crimp firmly with a fork.
Place on a lined tray. Cut a small steam slit in each, brush with egg and add optional coarse sugar. Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden. Cool for 10 minutes.
About this home version
Baking replaces deep-frying in this version of a regional hand-pie tradition.
Metric and US measures are approximate equivalents. For baking, use weights when you can.
