Reply With QuoteI've made a few apple pies. Avoid using anything older than a 4s. They taste rubbish...
I want to make an apple pie.
Lots of recipes online, of course, but many of them have reviews that indicate that they don’t always turn out too well. Any recommendations for something fairly foolproof? I am a reasonable cook but I rarely make pastry. One element seems to vary a lot: the type of apples. Overall, it seems that a mix of cookers and eaters is best. Any thoughts?
I see most recipes involve a cake or pie tin, enamelled metal, which I do not have. Won’t a heavy pyrex thing do?
Other things that vary a lot include whether or not to bake the pastry base separately first.
Recipes with minimal amounts of butter per portion would be good too.
I've made a few apple pies. Avoid using anything older than a 4s. They taste rubbish...
Seem to recall our very own Brendan (Webwatchmaker) had a apple crumble or apple pie recipe on his website. Torpidity induced by a heavy meal can't be bothered posting the link!
I've always used a pyrex dish for my crumble and on the rare occasion I make apple pie I use a cake tin. No idea if it makes a difference. I use LOTS of butter in mine add some cashewnuts as well!
Last edited by 72bpm; 20th January 2017 at 22:26.
Cheers 72bpm. He has a recipe for a crumble, but not a pie.
Each year I freeze an ice-cream tub full of brambles from my small garden at their ripest which is July/August (I planted a Cambridge Giant bramble years ago - the fruits are awesome and the thorns would deter the most determined scallywag).
Then when the apples (Lord Derby and the dual-purpose Falstaff) are ripe I make some apple & bramble pies. The recipe will work just as well with apples only; in that case I would throw in a few sultanas and of course some cloves.
Pastry is easy enough; whatever weight of plain flour you use, use half that weight of fat. I use a mix of half butter and half lard (tip - use the best quality lard. The "basic" lard tastes strongly of pig!).
Start with 8oz plain flour, 2oz lard and 2oz butter. Freeze the fats and you can grate them into the flour, saves mess. Pinch of salt, rub the fat into the flour with your thumbs and fingers. Leave it in the cold (the fridge preferably) for an hour or so to well chill it.
You should have enough for a 9" pie dish about 2-2½" deep, and maybe if a bit of pastry left over a little apple turnover. Buy a pie dish, they're cheap enough.
Smear butter all over the inside of the pie dish or you'll never get the pie out afterwards!
Roll out the pastry into a circle; size it by adding the 9" of dish base to 2 x 2½" of the sides, using the dish I quoted above, or the same formula if using another size. Line the pie dish with the pastry. Have ¼" of pastry overhanging the dish to make sealing the pastry lid easier.
Peel, core, and dice the apples and cube them - about the size of an oxo cube. I put the cubed apple into a bowl with the defrosted brambles, add sugar to taste (2-3oz for cooking apples, less if using ripe brambles as part of the filling, more if you have a sweet tooth) then pop in any sultanas, cloves, etc that you fancy, quick mix with a wooden spoon to spread the ingredients evenly. No need to pre-cook the apples by the way.
Roll out another circle of pastry the size of the top of the pie. Should have said, the pastry wants to be about 3/16" thick. Moisten the top of the ¼" pastry overhang with water and pinch the side to the top to seal it. Make a couple of "steam holes" by sticking a knife point into the pie top and waggling it a bit.
Pre-heat the oven - I use a fan electric at 190c. Brush some milk onto the pie top to give it a nice brown colour when done, and sprinkle a bit more sugar onto it. Bake at 190 for 10 minutes, then 170c for about 30 mins or until nicely brown. I stick a knife in when I think it's done, to test the ,er, doneness.
I do a few at a time and freeze them (apart from the one we eat straight away of course). Leave them out to fully defrost and reheat them in an oven for 10-15 mins using the isitdoneyet knife test.
The temperatures may want upping if not using a fan oven.
Last edited by unclealec; 21st January 2017 at 17:51.
Thanks unclealec.
I am now going off the pie idea (sorry!) as it seems that there is no way to avoid a significant amount of fat one way or the other, and I currently need to be low fat.
Now considering what to do with 1.5 kg of Bramleys...
Always buy pastry (shortcrust) to save the faff but quite expensive if doing a batch.
Bought a couple of enamel pie tins recently (more like a plate than dish) and they work well. Better conductor than Pyrex so helps avoid dreaded soggy bottom.
Finally, I use Bramleys - local farm shop sells carrier bags full for less than £4 this time of year.
No way to avoid fat, correct.
I would stew them and divide into portions suitable for serving with roast pork; fat-free of course.
Or some low-fat creme fraiche on top makes a lovely dessert.
Always think of American Pie when someone mentions Apple Pie
Only 1.5kg?Originally Posted by Si
I'm working my way through this lot. :)
Bugger the fat avoidance, and bugger bought pastry.............
F.T.F.A.
That looks damn good!
The fat restriction is for medical reasons and (I hope!) temporary.
I find pastrymaking very therapeutic, and it cleans all the mechanic's shite off my hands a treat.......
I merely followed a recipe on a bag of flour and baked it in a very large pasta plate/bowl which was the size I needed! Hope you are able to get back on the fat, for purely gastronomic reasons!
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