There is always something cooking at Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and on October 21— it was fresh apple pie.
The oldest church in Dallas, (Central celebrated its 150 anniversary last October) you might know it would lay claim to more than its share of good cooks.
During the fall and winter months, the holiday season, members often bake pies in the church kitchen to take to Dallas shelters for the homeless.
At the helm Tuesday morning was Lisa Huisenga. She has been baking pies since she was a young girl.
“I learned from my mother. She was a wonderful pie maker, often winning blue ribbons,” Huisenga said.
A good pie starts with a tasty crust. You’ve heard it—the crust can make or break your pie. Not only did Huisenga’s crust pass the taste test on the finished product, it was nearly “fool-proof” to handle.
What were some of her secrets? Chilled water, unsalted butter at room temperature and not over working the dough were some of her tips for a good crust.
Butter produces a rich crust. “For a lighter, flakier crust, I use shortening, preferably Crisco, instead of butter,” she said.
My favorite trick that I learned from her was rolling the crust between two pieces of waxed paper. It worked like a charm— I will never dust the kitchen counter, cabinets and floor with flour, again.
Apple of choice was Granny Smith. “Use a tart, firm apple like Granny Smith or Jonathon, never an apple with a soft flesh.” Huisenga advised.
Another trick was to soak the unpeeled apples in vinegar water to remove any chemicals and the peeled apples in lemon water to keep the white flesh from turning brown.
Other church members helping out with the baking of the pies were Margaret Wilson, Paquita Mueller, Rosemary Davenport and Jim Clark.
Mothers, grandmothers and mothers-in-law got credit for the most part when the group was asked how they developed their talent for cooking.
Mueller was an exception. “My German husband had a very sophisticated palate and I learned to cook for him,” she said. She loves to cook pot roast, and says her specialties include plum and apple tarts.
Wilson was only 21 years old when she married and her mother-in-law who prepared meals for a large family taught Wilson to cook. Coconut cream pie with meringue is one her favorite pies to make. However, Wilson family tradition allows each child or grandchild to choose their favorite pie on their birthday.
Clark said as a boy he helped his mother who worked outside the home get dinner ready for the family. “By the age of ten or eleven, I could get a meal on the table,” he said... One of his favorites to cook—chicken fried steak.
“We always had a family garden when I growing up,” Davenport said. Her mother taught her to cook basic, home-grown foods. “But it was my mother- in-law who exposed me to setting a beautiful table and the art of entertaining,” she said. However, Davenport still enjoys cooking old-timey, down home meals.
Even Central’s senior co-pastor, Dr. Debbie Chisolm, shares her flock’s flair for culinary arts. In fact, repeated wins of the church’s chili cook-offs and ice cream churn- offs resulted in the minister’s ban from future competitions.
She enjoys baking and has on occasion baked the bread for communion during Sunday’s worship service.
“I learned to cook from my grandmother, Margarita Fuentes,” Chisolm said. “I lived with her until I was seven years old and she taught me to cook tortillas, pancakes, enchiladas, soups and other foods of our heritage. She even taught me to flip an egg without breaking the yolk. I love to cook Mexican food,” Chisolm said.
The church smelled heavenly throughout the afternoon while the pies were baking. When out of the oven they were cooled and boxed for Central deacon, Buzz Dicken, to deliver to Union Gospel Mission.
Central Christian church is located at 4711 Westside Dr. just off Mockingbird Lane. Sunday worship is at 11 a.m. Sermons are broadcast at 9 a.m. on WRR (101.1 F.M.)
The church is home to ConnectingPointParkCities, a habilitation center for adults with disabilities; AcersCommunityGarden named in honor of members Ebby Halliday Acers and her late husband, Maurice, and CentralDogPark, a community dog park.
It is a church that reaches out to the community and it offers its members many volunteer opportunities. Visit Central Sunday morning. The fairly small congregation is diverse and friendly and very welcoming.