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I need an Apple Pie recipe
musanman
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I need the best damned recipe ever. I'm having a bake-off vs my wife, and I want to blow her out of the water. I haven't really baked anything substantial before...but I threw together a decent thanksgiving meal the other year.
I am willing to make my own crust, and I think I'm getting Granny Smith apples (and I heard throwing a few Golden Delicious in there mixes it up in a good way).
Help me please!
I am willing to make my own crust, and I think I'm getting Granny Smith apples (and I heard throwing a few Golden Delicious in there mixes it up in a good way).
Help me please!
musanman on
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http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/11/cooks-illustrated-foolproof-pie-dough-recipe.html
I think a straight all-lard or all-butter crust is better, but both of those crusts are not very forgiving, so you need to know what you're doing. The Cooks Illustrated is a good, basic pie crust.
For the filling, I like going with a macerated filling, where you soak the fruit in a combination of acid, sugar and spices first.
2 1/2 pounds apples (about 6 large), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
In a large bowl combine the sliced apples, sugars, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Let the apples macerate at room temperature for about two hours. Then, place the apples and their juices in a strainer that is placed over a large bowl (to capture the juices). Let the apples drain for about 15-30 minutes or until you have at least 1/2 cup of juice. Spray a 4 cup heatproof measuring cup with a nonstick vegetable spray, and then pour in the collected juices and the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Place in the microwave and boil the liquid, on high, 6 to 7 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to about 1/3 cup and is syrupy and lightly caramelized. (Alternatively, you could place the juices and butter in a small saucepan and boil over medium high heat on the stove.)
Transfer the drained apples slices to a large bowl and mix them with the cornstarch . Then pour the reduced syrup over the apples and toss to combine. Pour the apples and their syrup into the pie crust. Moisten the edges of the pie shell with a little water and then place the top crust over the apples. Tuck any excess pastry under the bottom crust and then crimp the edges using your fingers or a fork. Using a sharp knife, make five 2-inch slits from the center of the pie out towards the edge of the pie to allow the steam to escape. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill the pastry while you preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F . Place the oven rack at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on the rack before preheating the oven. Place a piece of aluminum foil on the stone (or pan) to catch any apple juices.
Set the pie on the stone or pan and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes or until the juices start to bubble through the slits and the apples feel tender (not mushy) when a toothpick or sharp knife is inserted through one of the slits. Make sure to cover the edges of the pie with a foil ring to prevent over browning after about 30 minutes.
BAM! (check the related videos for part 2)
Everything needs to be really cold.
1. Sift your flour into a large mixing bowl (originally to remove mealy bugs!) to add air.
2. Then slice your fat into cubes (Lewie's nana uses half butter and half lard, and her pastry is fab).
3. Using your fingers and thumbs (not your hands, just digits) rub the flour and fat between your fingers until you have mixed it all together and it looks like breadcrumbs.
4. This is where it gets messy: add iced water (but not the ice) a little at a time, and mix it in with your fingers.
5. Don't knead it, cos its not bread dough, just mix it gently til it looks like playdoh. Wrap it in clingfilm (saren wrap) and put it in the fridge to chill for at least 1/2 hour.
6. Prepare the pie dish: lightly grease with fat, then put it in the fridge to chill.
7. Take the pastry out of the fridge, and roll out on a lightly floured surface ( to stop the pastry sticking) preferably on a marble slab, cos that helps to keep the pastry cold. Roll it out til its about 1/4" thick,or slightly less. If you're making a lidded pie, reserve 1/3 of the pastry for the lid, don't roll it out yet.
8. Pick the pastry up by draping it across the rolling pin, so it doesn't tear, and lie it in the pie dish. Don't trim it yet.
9. Add the apples - I prefer peeled, cored and sliced baking apples rather than eating apples, sprinkled with a little lemon juice, brown sugar and cinnamon. The sugar and cinnamon mix during cooking to make a syrup.
10. Now roll out the remaining pastry to make the lid, a little bigger than the pie dish. Fold it in half and cut 3-4 tiny slits in the middle of the fold, to let steam out during cooking.
11. Wet the edge of the pastry in the pie dish, and quickly lay the lid pastry on top. Lightly press down the edge of the pastry to form a seal, then trim the excess off with a knife, by holding the knife blade verticallt against the horizontal edge of the pie dish.
12. Then, if you really want to, make some apple leaves out of the left over pastry bits, and stick them to the middle of the pie lid, near the steam vents you cut.
13. Then you can pretend to be English, and knock up the pastry edge - yes, I know that means something else in the US, but when referring to pastry, it means gently banging the cutting edge of a knife horizontally against the edge of the pie crust to seal the edges together more effectively, and if done well, it looks pretty!
14. Bake in the oven.
15. Make proper custard, and eat together. Mmmmmm.
For paintings in progress, check out canvas and paints
"The power of the weirdness compels me."
It will become approximately 40 times faster if you do.
If not apply Lewie P's mother's advice to the recipe for the pie crust, both are solid.
I would also advise leaving your butter out for 30 minutes before hand, it softens it slightly and makes it easier to work with.
If you want to win though, the easiest way is to do something you know you can do. But source your damm ingredients from quality sources. Get fresh apples, fresh organic flour (it does get stale), get hold of some cultured butter, fresh lemons for your juice (that might be a stretch but remember you are trying to make your wife look average go all out!), buy cinnamon sticks and see if you can get hold of fresh nutmeg nutmeg as well.
Additionally, serve it with cream not ice cream. It balances the flavours out far far better than the sweetness you get from icecream.
Satans..... hints.....
"Apple Pie without the cheese, is like a hug without the squeeze."
It rhymes, and you know it rhymes, so it must be true.
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Exactly. You want the butter as cold as you can get it. Just like you need to for biscuits. And don't overwork it.
...what? Apple pie with cheese? Madness!
It's a middle American thing. It's actually pretty good. If you want to try out the taste profile eat apple slices with aged cheddar.
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http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fast-Apple-Rhubarb-Pie/Detail.aspx
the recipe assumes you have the crust under control. It's pretty simple and traditional.