fresh apple pie

[shannon514]

hey! does anyone have a good recipe for fresh apple pie. i really want to make one tonight. TIA

[hunter]

I don't have a "recipe" but I'll tell you my technique! :)

Start with a standard pastry crust. I make mine with flour, sweet butter, a bit of sugar, and very little salt, and just enough ice-cold water to pull it together. I usually make one and a half recipes so I have plenty of dough. Don't handle it too much or it will be tough. Keep it chilled while you prepare your filling.

Peel & slice your apples into a big bowl. Sprinkle them with lemon juice every once in a while to keep them from browning. You want enough to make a big pile in your pie tin, because they cook down. When you have enough apples, add some brown sugar, plenty of cinnamon, some nutmeg & allspice, and a tiny bit of cloves. (Pumpkin pie spice is an easy short-cut.) Stir it all up, taste one of the slices, and add more lemon juice if it's too sweet or more sugar if it's too tart. Now sprinkle with it about a tablespoon of cornstarch and stir it up very well; if your apples are juicy, use a little more, if they're dry, use a little less. This will thicken the juices that are released from the apples, so your pie will be saucy instead of soggy. Some people use tapioca flour, but I've never tried that.

Roll out your pastry crust, fit it in your pan, and dump in the apples. Wiggle them around so there aren't too many air bubbles. I add a couple dots of butter on top, it adds a wonderful richness. Now roll out the top crust and -- here's my secret -- cut long narrow holes instead of just slits. As the apples cook, the top crust will settle down, and the holes will narrow; this will not only keep you from having "too much" top crust, or an air gap between the apples & top crust, but it will also give you a guide for cutting so the top crust is destroyed with each slice. Crimp the crusts together, put the pie on a baking sheet (apple pies are notorious for bubbling over) and bake. I usually bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes; this can really fluctuate and it depends on what kind of apples you use, how juicy they are, how full your pie is, all kinds of things. The crust should be nicely browned, and the apples should be just fork-tender (poke a skewer through one of those holes) because they will continue cooking while the pie cools.

I'm sorry I'm one of those cooks who just throws things in a bowl without measuring. I just go by what smells good, looks good, and tastes good. But apple pie is the only thing I bake with any regularity, and it really isn't that difficult. The worst thing is over-baking, remember you can always pop it back in, but you can't un-bake it. Good luck!

[GeorgiaGirl]

I guess I'm a little late responding since you wanted to make this last night, but maybe you can try it next time. This is the BEST apple pie in my opinion--it has a yummy crumb topping instead of a double crust. Everyone I know who has tasted it loves it--you must top with vanilla bean ice cream though! :)

Deep Dish Apple Pie

4 large Granny Smith apples (or other baking apples)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup butter
9" DEEP dish pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Peel and core apples, cut into eighths.
3. Arrange apple pieces in 9" deep dish pie crust (will be heaping).
4. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1 tsp. cinnamon.
5. Sprinkle over apples.
6. Sift 1/2 cup sugar with 3/4 cup all purpose flour. Cut in butter until it crumbles.
7. Pour over apples.
8. Bake 40-50 minutes. It may run over, depending on how big your apples are, so you may want to put aluminum foil underneath or something to catch the drips.