This weekend my dad flew in from Chicago to visit. They based themselves at my sisters house, about an hour away from us. I decided to bake two pies to share with the family, and it was also a good excuse to try a new apple pie recipe out of the "Baked" cookbook.
I bought these books earlier in the year, and really wanted to make something from them, but the weather turned warm before I could get a chance to do so. I know this doesn't deter some, but I really only like to bake in the cooler months. I sometimes make pies in the summer, if I'm in the mood, but this year I just couldn't be bothered, and didn't want any baked goods around the house while we were trying to get more fit. OK, on to why I made a classic apple pie from this book ( the one on the right). I like apple pie, but it isn't my very favorite, and I think the reason why is because of how the apple come out once the pie is baked. How many of you slice the apples, toss them in some classic apple pie spices and sugar, then pour them into the crust? I was in that camp, and while it tasted pretty good, I always thought it could be better. Perhaps I'm late coming to the party on this one, but
apparently there are recipes that cook the apples first. This recipe sold me when I read the ingredients for the filling, which included a teaspoon of whiskey, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and cinnamon of course. You saute half the apples in butter for 10 min., then when the rest goes in, you continue cooking for 5 more min. The one thing I did wrong, was that I got a little too happy and tossed ALL the apples in the sugar etc., while I should have just cooked the first half without the sugar and spices. It all came together in the end though, and the pie was very, very good! All the apples were cooked more uniformly and the ingredients gave it a more rich caramel flavored taste. This recipe is a keeper! If you don't already have this book, go get it!!!
apparently there are recipes that cook the apples first. This recipe sold me when I read the ingredients for the filling, which included a teaspoon of whiskey, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and cinnamon of course. You saute half the apples in butter for 10 min., then when the rest goes in, you continue cooking for 5 more min. The one thing I did wrong, was that I got a little too happy and tossed ALL the apples in the sugar etc., while I should have just cooked the first half without the sugar and spices. It all came together in the end though, and the pie was very, very good! All the apples were cooked more uniformly and the ingredients gave it a more rich caramel flavored taste. This recipe is a keeper! If you don't already have this book, go get it!!! My sister doesn't like apple pie, so I made a blueberry one for her. She even had to admit though, that the apple pie was delicious, when she snuck a bite.
Tell me, what is your favorite pie??
I love a good slice of apple pie
ReplyDeleteespecially with big pieces of sugar on top.
Yum Yum!
Melinda
My favorite pie is lemon merengue, when the lemon part has no gelatin, followed closely by blueberry pie when the blueberries have lemon in it. Although I must say my apple pie is good enough to get devoured in our house, your recipe might be worth a try. I, too, like making pies when the weather begins to turn cooler.
ReplyDeleteI am now hungry.
Carolina
Elizabeth. What a VERY timely post you have here! Today I made a pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread with a spiced glaze. They both turned out beautifully! Ok, so dont laugh but this is really the first time ive made a pie. Gahh I know. I think its kind of a bit of a cheater pie too because its just pumpkin after all (super easy to mix up) and I used a frozen crust. My goal this fall is to learn how to make a killer pie crust from scratch and really get into the pie making spirit in general.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the whiskey in this apple pie. I absolutely love baking and cooking with alcohol, and not because I'm a boozer (haha) but because of the flavor!
Thank you for the inspiration!
And P.S. - any chance you have a pie crust recipe you'd love to share with me? :)
Oh and btw, my favorite pie is Kahlua pie - although I do love cherry too!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger we used to have bilberry pies with cream poured over which I loved, not only for the taste but because the berries stained the cream and our tongues dark blue! Bilberries aren't the same as blueberries and generally only grow in the wild here so are very hard to find.
ReplyDeleteI made an apple pie a couple weeks ago. Man, I always forget how good it is. I haven't pre-cooked the apples. My new thing with apple pie is to peel and core the apples, then slice them thin with the mandoline. I cut the slices in half; toss with sugar, cinnamon, and butter; and then layer them into the crust. It makes for a pretty pie when sliced open (saw this in the food section of the newspaper a while back). I also included a few asian pears in the mix for the pie as they are in season at the farmer's market. Wow! Great addition.
ReplyDeleteYum! Definitely pumpkin! I am so glad it's getting cooler outside, so baking doesn't roast me out of the kitchen! :)
ReplyDeleteBetween this and the last post, I'm getting so hungry! I made an apple pie for the first time last 4th of July and even though I never tasted it (I'm not a fan of it myself) everyone else loved it, and I cooked the apples then. I have to make another pie today before our apples from the orchard trip go bad, lol, this was a good reminder!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, and my favorite is banana cream -- but I can never find a recipe that doesn't turn it into a pudding consistency :-/