We’re just a few weeks away from Thanksgiving, so if you want to serve the perfect apple pie, now is the best time to learn some recipes. Pies are a Thanksgiving must—so to supply this demand, serve your family a warm, freshly baked apple pie.
Why apples, you ask? Well, apples are especially delicious during the fall because they are at their prime. If you’re going to serve the perfect apple pie, you need to take advantage of the apple season.
The perfect apple pie would be described as having a crisp, flaky crust, and thick, cider-flavored apple filling.
Making one is easier said than done. In fact, “easy as pie” isn’t as accurate as people think it is. But with this easy apple pie recipe, anyone can make a lovely Thanksgiving dessert that will keep everyone coming back for more.
Apple Pie Tips and Tricks
For the purpose of this guide, we will be focusing on the perfect apple pie filling. You can make an excellent apple pie without doing it all from scratch. The crust part, in particular, is tricky for many aspiring bakers, so if making the homemade pie dough is too much of a hassle, you should consider picking up a frozen pie crust at a grocery store. It will still taste great once it is filled with fresh fruit and a few other ingredients.
Filling the Apple Pie
For the perfect apple pie filling, you need to prepare the following:
3½ pounds baking apples (see note), peeled, cored, sliced ¼-inch thick
1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, from 1 lemon
½ cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons corn starch
And last but not the least; prepare the following ingredients for baking:
A beaten egg, cream, or milk, for brushing over crust
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for topping the pie
This recipe was created by a classically trained chef and cookbook author Jenn Segal and posted on her website: https://www.onceuponachef.com. She also teaches you how to bake the crust yourself, so visit her website if you want to try it out.
Baking the Perfect Apple Pie
Preheat your oven to 375°F and prepare your ready-made crust. Cover the crust with a piece of parchment paper and fill it with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 20 minutes.
Then take the crust out of the oven; remove the parchment paper, beans, and pie weights. Tent the edges with a few strips of aluminum foil so it will protect the edges from getting too dark. Bake it for another 20 minutes until the dough is dry and golden. If the bottom puffs up, don’t worry: just press it down gently with a flat spatula or a pancake turner—but be careful not to puncture it. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F.
So while that is baking, combine the apples, lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Toss until the sugar is dissolved and all the apples are evenly coated. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
Afterward, you can drain the apples, but make sure to collect the syrupy juice in another bowl. Pour this juice into a 2-cup microwave-safe liquid measuring cup. Take note of the quantity and then heat on high power in the microwave, checking it frequently until the syrup is reduced by half. It may take just around 4 minutes, but all microwaves are different so keep an eye on it. If it cooks for too long, the syrup will turn into sticky caramel.
If done right, the syrup will be slightly thickened, but still pourable. Add the syrup back to the apples along with the flour and corn starch; toss to combine. Take the crust and pour in your filling and top it with the second crust, pinching the edges of the top and bottom crusts together with your fingers. Brush the top crust with the beaten egg—you can use cream or milk.
Sprinkle just a bit of sugar over the top crust. Cut a few slits in the top crust to allow the steam to escape, and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 375°F before baking for an additional 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the filling is bubbly. Let the pie cool completely before cutting.
Here at Livnfresh, we love apple pies just as much as we love Michigan. Be sure to visit us at Livnfresh.com for some great Michigan-inspired apparel.
via Livnfresh Blog|The Coolest State Apparel Co. https://blog.livnfresh.com/thanksgiving-apple-pie/