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Farm Kitchen:  Perfecting Mom's Apple Pie  |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 25 2011 : 9:21:22 PM
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I'll admit that my apple pies are terrific in all respects save one: they're too wet inside.
I can't figure out which variety of apple to use, and/or how much flour or whatever to add to the sugar mixture to keep the pie from being so watery. I can't remember my late mother's apple pies being so overly juicy; I know she didn't add more than a couple of tablespoons of flour for thickening.
Advice, sisters? |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Dec 26 2011 : 03:40:07 AM
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There are good pie apples in every season. In late summer we like yellow transparent and Lodi. My husband thinks Macintosh are good but I think they get too mushy when baked. I like Gala as a good baking apple, and Northern Spies are also a really good baking apple as they keep their shape. Golden Delicious is juicy and sweet, so you can reduce the sugar and increase the flour or corn starch used for thickening in your recipe.
Many people like Honey Crisp for baking but I have not tried them as I have so many other options to choose from.
Stay away from Red Delicious for baking. They are best for fresh eating.
Sometimes I pre-cook my apple pie filling to make sure the filling will thicken up, especially if I am using tapioca as thickener.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com [ or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
Edited by - brightmeadow on Dec 26 2011 03:45:45 AM |
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Dec 26 2011 : 6:19:35 PM
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I don't add anything to my filling save apples (3-4 kinds) and cinnamon and sugar. It never comes out gooey, oozy or alternately, dry. It's perfect (or so I've been told :)). I use cortland, pippin, autumn splendor and macintosh apples. All small, all for cooking--larger apples seem to have more tendency to become watery when baked--they actually disentegrate.
A good trick for keeping the pie from becoming too watery is to cut plastic straws about 3 inches long and place into the pie. The juice comes up into the straw and doesn't make the crust soggy.
"Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile..."
The Only Living Boy in New York, Paul Simon |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2011 : 10:29:47 AM
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| Thjanks so much, ladies! I think I'll try adding some tapioca to my next pie, and go with Gala. Jonni, I'm having a hard time picturing the straw idea, which really does sound ingenious! Do they have to bend off the side of the pie into little ramekins or something else to catch the runoff? (By the way, Jonni, I'm a huge Paul SImon fan, so your signature always makes me smile.) |
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Dec 30 2011 : 10:43:11 AM
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Hi Mara! Glad to make you smile--I'm also a big fan of Paul Simon, and listen to him just about everyday!
Take regular drinking straws and cut them 2.5 inches or so. Stick them into the surface of the pie, down TO the bottom crust, without going through. The juices go right up into the straws and when the pie is cooled, you can remove them and the filling is set enough that it doesn't become too watery. They do melt a little (looks like little birthday candles) but I've never had a problem.
"Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile..."
The Only Living Boy in New York, Paul Simon |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4179 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4179 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2011 : 04:10:44 AM
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I sometimes put crushed cornflakes in the bottom of my pies. I have a recipe for apple bars that is fantastic, and it calls for a cup of corn flakes sprinkled on the crust before putting the apples on it. Worth a try.
Michele |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2012 : 5:48:08 PM
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Wow, Michele -- another great idea. Thanks! And Jonni, I am totally going to have to try that straw trick. It's too funny not to! BTW, about Paul SImon, at this time of the year I especially remember the lines he gave Leonard Bernstein for his "Mass" (I saw the premiere at the then-brand-new Kennedy Center in Washington DC -- amazing! Anyway...) The lines are:
Half the people are drowning and the other half are swimming in the wrong direction;
Half the people are stoned and the other half are waiting for the next election.
*sigh* |
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LightGreenThumb
True Blue Farmgirl
170 Posts
Elizabeth
Spokane
WA
USA
170 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2012 : 8:49:21 PM
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Hi Mara,
I use Granny Smith apples. They are tart and cook well but don't get mushy. I use the Granny Smith apples, sugar, cinmamon and nutmeg for my filling and have never had a wet pie. I bake for at least 1 hour if not a bit more. It does boil over sometimes so I have a pan that I put beneath it to catch the drippings. This pan holds the pie up a little so it does not sit in the drippings.
Happy Baking!!
Elizabeth <><
Farmgirl #3091
Simplicity is Beautiful. |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2012 : 10:55:21 PM
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Thanks, Elizabeth. I bought a bunch of Honey Crisps (hope I remembered the variety by the right name) the other day but haven't used them yet. I might hang onto them for snacks and get some Granny Smiths for pies.
Your manners will define you wherever you go. Never forget it. |
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Farm Kitchen: Perfecting Mom's Apple Pie |
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Perfecting Mom's Apple Pie
