The comfort of autumn

and a recipe for the quintessential apple pie

What is comfort?

That question has been playing in my mind all week, as I contemplated the wonderful Yotam Ottolenghi, and the conversation he had with Donna Dooher at Roy Thomson Hall last week.

Ottolenghi was in town to talk about his latest cookbook, Ottolenghi Comfort. And what a perfect time of year to talk about the thing we all seem to be craving the most right now. Although the roots of this book predated the last few crazy years (“batshit crazy”, as Ottolenghi says in the book’s introduction), still, those seeds of needing comfort have long been germinating.

We first went back to the kitchen to seek comfort and solace during the long dark days of Covid, and rediscovered a connection to home cooking, a deeply human and grounding act, as Ottolenghi describes it. In the kitchen, a place as warm and familiar as a favourite sweater, we connect to rituals and ideas and recipes that signal home in a uniquely grounding way.

Home truths

To reclaim cooking is a wonderful powerful position to be in when all the rest is very unreal. Going to the kitchen is the opposite of going to our screens; it’s the real deal. It’s the place where we can regain a bit of control, find comfort, and switch off, even if only for a little while.  

—Yotam Ottolenghi, in conversation with Donna Dooher

Food travels with us, a secret talisman embedded in our bones. The aroma of a beloved dish can transport us back to a specific moment, weaving together the delicate threads of memory and emotion, pulling us back in time with a single breath.

This connection between scent and memory is almost instant, thanks to the direct link between our sense of smell and the brain’s limbic system, where emotions and memories are processed. In a fleeting instant, the past feels as vivid and warm as freshly baked pie being pulled from the oven.

Breaking bread together

But food isn’t just about what’s on the plate—it’s about who’s sitting around the table with you. The comfort we get from food is deeply tied to the people we share it with.

There’s something profoundly comforting about gathering with family or friends, passing dishes, sharing bites, and enjoying the simple act of eating together. As social beings, eating together is one of the most fundamental ways we bond. Our formal and informal traditions—Thanksgiving feasts; Friday night dinners; Sunday brunch; a quiet meal together—shape our identities and create a sense of belonging.

That connection is what truly makes a meal special.

“Right now, we need comfort more than ever. We need those moments around the table, whether we’re eating with loved ones or enjoying a quiet meal alone. And food, in its ability to bring joy and solace, will always be there to provide that comfort, no matter what’s going on in the world.”

—Yotam Ootolenghi

Food is far more than just fuel for the body. It’s an experience, a ritual, and often a way to find balance when everything else feels uncertain. In a world that can feel chaotic, the act of preparing and sharing a meal gives us something familiar to hold onto.

Now that’s comfort.

The quintessential apple pie

Kate McDermott, Art of the Pie

Makes one 9” deep dish pie

Ah, autumn.  Crispy air, crunchy apples, cinnamon and crimson leaves. If there is ever a time to turn on the oven and get out your rolling pin, now is it.

Apples have muscled their way into the season with a vengeance. Northern Spy, Russet, Jonagold, Honey Crisp, Ambrosia, Cortland, Empire....an abundance of apples, all with spots and blemishes and deep orchard goodness. These aren't your supermarket beauties. They have heft and weight and skins so taut that the juice flies when you take that first big bite. 

There are as many opinions about which apples make the best pies as there are variations on this beloved recipe. Here’s the thing. Everyone will be so glad that you baked a pie, that it won’t much matter what apples you choose. If your choices are limited, a mix of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious, usually available year-round, make a splendid pie.

Ingredients

8-10 cups apples skin on, quartered and cored; you can leave the peels on if you wish)

½ cup flour

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 gratings nutmeg

½ teaspoon allspice

1 tablespoon of an artisan style cider vinegar

1-2 teaspoons butter chopped into little pieces

1 recipe double crust pie dough

1 egg white plus 1 tablespoon water, fork beaten

Coarse or granulated sugar for the topping

1. Make and chill dough.

2. Heat oven to 425F.

3. Slice or chunk apples into pieces you can comfortably get into your mouth. (If you make them too big you may have to cook the filling longer for them to soften.)

4. In a large mixing bowl combine of the ingredients except the butter and mix lightly until most of the surfaces are covered.

5. Roll out one disk of dough and place in pie plate. Fill with apple filling and dot with butter.

6. Roll out second dough and place on top; crimp edges with a fork. Cut some vents in the top of the crust. Paint top with egg white wash and sprinkle extra sugar evenly on top.

7. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes longer. If top is getting too dark, protect it with a piece of vented foil.

8. The pie is done when you hear a sizzle in the crust and a “whump” from the filling that should be bubbling and sending steam through the vents.

9. Cool for at least 1 hour before serving.