Apple Pie

swan · Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 11:44 pm Post subject: Apple Pie

I just realized there is definitely more then one nation who thinks apple pie is a national 'thing'. We Dutchies are one of them(appeltaart). Tarte Tatin comes up in my mind, apple strudel, crumble....
Who is willing to share their apple pie secret??

Rainey · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2004 4:07 am Post subject:

Mine is very simple: not one tiny bit more sugar than absolutely necessary.

Erin · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2004 4:58 am Post subject:

The apple pie is a very sacred thing to me, but I have no specific recipe. I make a different type of apple pie every 9-11 as my own private tribute. I never write them down, I go with an inspiration. Last year was one with vanilla and rum, my favorite.
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

anna · Joined: 30 Nov 2004 Posts: 45 Location: north carolina, usa

amen to no or little sugar, rainey. also, i am very passionate about a crumb crust.

brighidsdaughter · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 233 Location: Canton, TX USA

I'll join the "as little sugar as possible" crowd. I don't really have a recipe. A lot depends on the apples available. I like tart, crisp, flavorful ones, and sometimes I combine a couple of different varieties of apples in the same pie. I usually leave the peel on, I like the more rustic look. Use more apples than you think you need -- heap them up high in the bottom crust! I sprinkle each layer of apples with a bit of sugar, a tiny bit of flour, and the best quality cinnamon I can find.

I like a double crust, no fancy latticework tops, just a vented pastry lid to keep the juices in. I am picky about my pastry. Like most American recipes, ingredients are by volume. 1 part solid fat to 3 parts flour. Using half lard and half butter for the fat makes a wonderfully flaky, flavorful crust. I know it's begging for high cholesterol, but I only make about 1 apple pie a year! Cold flour, chilled fats cut in with 2 knives or a pastry blender, and ice-water to moisten, amount depending on humidity of flour. No sugar in the pastry.

Rainey · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2004 6:34 am Post subject:

Erin · Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2004 3:24 pm Post subject:

Romes can be tricky to pick out. Their window is so small, but they still look perfect even after they have gone mealy. Tricky apple that one, but still my fave.
_________________
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

tea leaves · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 3:38 pm Post subject:

A couple of things with apple pie have evolved as my cooking/baking skills have evolved the last 10 years.

1) I keep reducing the amount of sugar I put in every year, finally understanding that the apples have their own.

2) The transition from mac's to jonagold apples the last two years was quite accidental ( the only kind they were selling at Costco), but have garnered rave reviews over and above previous pies.

3) A teensy, teensy bit of butter on top of the apples before the top crust goes on. Makes the filling creamier.

That said, PBS in Boston aired 12 hours of vintage 60's and 70's Julia Child episodes on Christmas Nite. Of course I was transported to my childhood when I watched them with my father, her truest acolyte. But one of the episodes shown was the famous "tarte tatin" ! She was completely nonplussed as always and showed yet again, it's the thought and soul you put into cooking that makes you better at it!

Happy New Year everyone!
_________________
"Nobody can teach you how to make the perfect cup of tea. It just happens over time. Wearing cashmere helps of course."

David · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:35 pm Post subject:

Ah, Julia! It is her tarte tatin recipe I use when making that devine apple confection. Had Tarte Tatin for the first time on our first trip to Paris back in 1991 in a rocking little restaurant in Montparnasse called (are you ready) Le Far Ouest, complete with a decor of hay bails and wheat sheaves and old garden implements. Anyway we liked the tarte so much i was determined to make it myself and sure enough Julia's recipe, includint the pate brise, is superb. A bit labour intensive I suppose with all the basting etc. but well well worth the effort!
_________________
Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!

rebecca · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 8:15 pm Post subject:

The most essential ingredient in a apple pie for me is sharp cheddar cheese. It can be grated and either in the filling or the crust OR sliced and melted on top. As a wise person once said: "Apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze." Words to live by, indeed.

monkey · Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 8:27 pm Post subject:

i believe that was wallace of wallace and gromit who said that. i could be wrong.
_________________
monkey

nothing brings primates together like a good snack!
www.TheresAMonkeyInTheKitchenAndHesGotAKnife.com

madameshawshank · Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 12:55 am Post subject: apple piers

the whole lot of you are just toooooooooooooooooooooo smart & clever...is there NOTHING you can't do?...no, don't answer that!

I'm a basic pie gal...

how about this from the wondrous soul, Arthur Miller..

The apple cannot be stuck back on The Tree of Knowledge; once we begin to see, we are doomed and challenged to seek the strength to see more, not less.

the apple tree of knowledge...such a fun and intriguing piece of flora...

apple hugs to all..
_________________
"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson