When apples are very small and green, they are nice stewed whole, with
the skins on, and strained when soft, and sweetened. Pare, quarter, and
take out the cores of the apples, when of a large size. If they are not
ripe, stew them with just water enough to prevent their burning. When
soft, sweeten and season them to the taste. When apples are ripe, they
make better pies not to be stewed before baking. Fill your pie plates,
cover them with a thick crust, and bake them from half to three-quarters
of an hour. When baked sufficiently, cut the upper crust through the
centre, remove it carefully with a broad knife, put a piece of butter,
of the size of a walnut, into a pie, sweeten it to your taste, and if
the apples are not tart enough, squeeze in the juice of part of a
lemon--flavor the pie with either nutmeg, rosewater, or grated lemon
peel. Apples cut into quarters, without paring, and stewed soft in new
cider and molasses, make good plain pies. The apples should be strained
after stewing, and seasoned with cinnamon or nutmeg. If made quite
sweet, it will keep good several months. Dried apples should have
boiling water turned on to cover them, and stewed till very soft. If
they are not tart enough, turn in sour cider, when they are partly
stewed. A little orange peel stewed with the apples, gives them a fine
flavor. Season them, when soft, with sugar and nutmeg, and strain them
if you like.