Problem with my apple pie: please help

I have been making simple apple pie, and I can't seem to get it the way my mother used to make it.

It always comes out to dry. My mother's apple pie used to have some delicious liquid with it, and I can't figure out how to do it.

My problem is with the filling. I use:

Two or three fresh apples Apple pie filling from a can Sugar Corn starch.

What might I be doing wrong?

Thanks for your help!

Mordechai Housman

Reply to
Mordechai Housman
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I urge you to get a copy of a very basic cookbook, such as Betty Crocker, and follow the directions for apple pie. What you are doing is mixing TWO fillings together -- the one from a can, and the other "from scratch" but missing some ingredients. What you describe probably doesn't taste very good! When you make fruit pie from scratch you will need to pay attention to what variety of fruit you use -- some has more juice, some has more tartness, some gets mushy, etc. This is particularly important with apples! A cookbook will explain all that.

Reply to
Mary

Seems you added ,more starch...in the form of cornstarch.

If you only added more fruit into the apple pie filling you should not add starch anymore.

Take note the apple pie filling is already stabilized with waxy maize starch and adding more will absorb more liquid making your apple filling dry textured.

On the other hand just as Mary suggested try the recipe from the scratch using any known cookbook.

Reply to
chembake

Adding the corn starch. There's starch in the pie filling already, and the extra starch is soaking up all the liquid. You probably don't need the extra sugar, either.

If your mom added cornstarch, she was probably using very juicy apples and no canned filling.

You should really try a pie from scratch if you're already cutting up apples. It will be much better than one with pie filling.

-- Jenn Ridley : snipped-for-privacy@chartermi.net

Reply to
Jenn Ridley

Well, I AM using frozen pie crusts, if that makes any difference. I'm not quite up to making my own pie crusts like my mother did. I hope, someday this year, maybe.

Reply to
Mordechai Housman

Pie crusts are as easy as, well, pie.

Here's a recipe my mother gave me years and years ago that has only failed me once (and that taught me to never bake while under the influence, no matter how cute she is, and how much she wants a pie).

Mike's Mother's No-Fail Easy All-Purpose Pie Crust

This is enough for 1 covered or two uncovered 10" pie shells.

INGREDIENT LIST

3 cups flour (I usually use All-Purpose flour, though you may use pastry flour) 1 1/4 cups shortening 1 egg, well beaten, 5 TBSP water, 1 TBSP vinegar, 1 tsp salt, sessame seeds (optional), and caraway seeds (optional).

INSTRUCTIONS

Blend:

3 cups flour, and 1 1/4 cups shortening

with a fork or pastry knife until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Then mix:

1 egg, well beaten, 5 TBSP water, 1 TBSP vinegar, and 1 tsp salt

in a second bowl. Once this is well mixed, add it to the flour - shortening mixture above. Mix only enough that the mixture will hold together. DON'T OVERWORK THE DOUGH!!

At this point the dough can be rolled to the desired thickness, etc. Bake at 400 F., or at the temperature your pie recipe calls for.

Left over dough can be kept up to 2 weeks if wrapped tightly in the refrigerator, or it can be rolled into a 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick layer, sprinkled with sesame seeds, or caraway seeds, baked at 400 F for 15 minutes and used as apetizers.

Give it a try, you'll be happy you did! Mike

Reply to
Mike Avery

I wasn't referring to the crust. Using a frozen pie crust shouldn't affect the consistency of the filling at all. Using all fresh apples will make the biggest difference. (many people I know don't eat the pie crust at all, so scratch/frozen doesn't affect anything.)

-- Jenn Ridley : snipped-for-privacy@chartermi.net

Reply to
Jenn Ridley

We must run in different culinary circles! If the crust is bad...the pie won't get any better. A fabulous crust is the foundation for any pie.

OK...now, everyone can shudder....I use half lard, half Crisco for my crusts.

The Fine Art of Cooking involves personal choice. Many preferences, ingredients, and procedures may not be consistent with what you know to be true.

As with any recipe, you may find your personal intervention will be necessary. Bon Appetit!

Reply to
Ward Abbott

Do you mean that you used both apples and canned filling? or did you mean that you've tried both fresh apples and canned filling?

You didn't use enough apples or you used the wrong kind of apples. Some apples bake up to a mush and others remain firm.

McIntosh, make a nice saucy pie. Some other good baking apples are, Baldwin, Delicious and Jonathan.

For a 9 inch pie:

Use 5 or 6 good sized apples (peeled and sliced)

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup of flour (all purpose)

Toss the apples in a bowl with the flour, sugar and spices then place them into a pastry lined pie plate, arrange the apples so that no pointed ends are going to stick through the crust. Dump any left over sugar/spice mix over the apples and cover with top crust that has some slits in it to let out the steam. Flute the edges and cover them loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes at 400ºf (if using glass pie plate) 425ºf if using metal

Reply to
Rina

Yes, saturated fats do make fine pie crusts but you wouldn't expect Mordechai to use PIG fat would you? Chicken fat works just as well, maybe even better. Many people use butter. Bob

Reply to
Bob Eld

Thanks. I have decided to try that this Friday.

Reply to
Mordechai Housman

Correct, I eat only kosher, so I would be more careful with what I use. However, I am told that when you make things with chicken fat (shmaltz), it always tastes like chicken, no matter what you make. And if I use butter, it will have to be dairy, and most of the Sabbath (when I eat the pie), I eat meat foods.

I will have to look at some kosher cookbooks to see what I can substitute for this fat thing. Mostly likely it will be margarine, which we tend to use a lot for such things.

Reply to
Mordechai Housman

I used both canned and fresh. I see now that this was a mistake, though in the past it worked okay. Still, it wasn't as juicy as I wanted the pie to be.

I think I'm going to try different types of apples and we'll see which works best for me. I think I have a vague memory of which apples my mother used. They were big, and they were what we used to call "baking apples." I think they were either Cortland or Macintosh.

But just to experiment, over the summer I might try a different type of apple each week. I might make something I like better than what my mother used to make.

Reply to
Mordechai Housman

Mordechai Housman wrote on 24 May 2006 in rec.food.baking

Double this to make a topped pie.... You said experiment...I read that.

Allow the pastry to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes before rolling. Add the water tbsp at a time...you might not need all of it or you might need a tad more; depending on the humidity, grade of flour, how the gods feel, etc...

Apple pie and cheddar cheese is a well known/loved combo. This is just kinda a short cut

Cheese Pie Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup Butter 2 ounces (1/2 cup) Cheddar Cheese , shredded 3 tablespoons cold water Combine flour and cheese in large bowl ; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water with fork just until flour is moistened. Shape into ball; flatten slightly.

Roll out ball of dough on lightly floured surface into 12-inch circle. Fold into quarters. Place dough into 9-inch pie pan unfold dough, pressing firmly against bottom and sides. Trim crust to 1/2 inch from edge of pan. Crimp or flute edge. Fill and bake according to pie recipe directions.

For baked unfilled pie shell, prepare dough as directed above. Prick crust all over with fork before baking. Bake at 475°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes Pastry for 1-crust pie.

Nutrition Facts (1/8 of single crust)

Calories: 150 Fat: 10 g Cholesterol: 25 mg Sodium: 100 mg Carbohydrates: 12 g Dietary Fiber: 0 g Protein: 3 g Recipe provided courtesy of Land O Lakes, Inc.

Reply to
Mr Libido Incognito

When I think of large apples that are considered "baking apples" the first variety that comes to mind is Rome apples. That is what my mother typically uses in her (very delicious!) apple pie. She told me to not use Macintosh as they get too mushy. I have used, with success, a combination of Rome and Granny Smith. Here is my mom's recipe. The pie crust calls for margarine - which would work well for you for meat dinners on the Sabbath. The filling & topping calls for some butter, but you can experiment with margarine in its place. This recipe is very easy - I have made it numerous times. It is not a two crust pie, but rather a crumb topping pie. Enjoy!

APPLE PIE

crust:

1 cup flour

1/3 cup margarine

little salt

ice water (2-3 tablespoons)

Combine all ingredients. Roll out and place into bottom of pie pan.

filling:

3/4-1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 tsp. grated lemon rind

2 tbsp flour

6 cups pared, sliced apples (Rome)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp butter

Combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, lemon rind, flour. Put a layer of apples into crust. Sprinkle with cinn-sugar mixture, sprinkle with lemon juice, dot with butter. Continue to layer.

crumb topping:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup flour

spread on top of pie before baking

bake:

450 degrees F for 10 minutes

then, 375 degrees F for 40-50 minutes

Reply to
stars

I'm assuming you have access to parve margarine, which sometimes is hard to find. But if you have a kosher home, you're used to knowing which brands are available where.

I think Crisco really is the solution here. When Crisco was invented, it meant that MOTs could finally eat pie.

Reply to
Claire Petersky

I don't recall ever seeing a non-dairy margarine. Here in the Jewish neighborhoods, where all the stores are kosher, even the ones selling drapes, getting parve kosher margarine won't be a problem.

By the way, what does "MOT" mean?

Reply to
Mordechai Housman

Member Of the Tribe.

I am a little confused by your statement that you've never seen a non-dairy margarine, and then you state that getting a parve margarine isn't a problem. I wonder if there's a problem with a double negative. Where I live, you have to hunt a bit to find parve margarine -- most of it is Kosher Dairy.

Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky

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Reply to
Claire

My understanding is that Crisco is the thing to use for pie crusts if you aren't going to use lard. Crisco is based on vegetable oils, and has a construction which mimics the fat/moisture characteristics of lard.

It makes great pie crusts. Better than margarine, I'm told. (I've used it the few times I've made pie crust, but I'm no expert.)

Reply to
Alan Moorman

My mom used sliced canned apples for pie, but it wasn't prepared pie filling. Just sliced apples.

I never thought they tasted very good straight out of the can, and never would have tried them on my own based on their taste right out of the can! But in a pie, with the addition of some sugar, margarine, cinnamon, and a whisp of nutmeg, they were wonderful.

She used the juice that came with the apples, and added a bit of flour for thickening. Very flexible, and delicious!

Alan

Reply to
Alan Moorman

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