He's actually not a big cake fan. The last few years he has asked for something different than traditional birthday cake and ice cream. He knows I will make whatever he requests. This year he asked for homemade apple pie. I told him that I have never made an apple pie by myself---all from scratch! That didn't seem to bother him. I guess he had more faith in me than I did. So, I began my search of which recipe to make, which apples to use and some basic pie making tips.
I finally settled on this recipe that is originally from Allrecipes. It has 5 stars from almost 6000 votes. I figured that was a good sign! I drove to a local farmer's market to make sure I had the best apples before I got started. After all this isn't just any apple pie, it's a special birthday apple pie for my special son!
Recipe Link
Ingredients
Pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie*
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6-8 Honeycrisp apples (depends on size of apples) peeled, cored and sliced
1 egg white, whisked until foamy
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour and cornstarch. Add water, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Add vanilla and reduce temperature and let simmer.
2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Brush with the egg white. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the apples, reserving about a cup for the top crust. Cover with either a lattice work crust or a full crust with slits cut for venting. Pour remaining sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off!
3. Bake 10 minutes in preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35-45 minutes or until apples are soft. I recommend putting a foiled lined baking sheet at the bottom of the oven to catch any drips. This pie gets messy as it cooks!
Let cool to room temperature before cutting.
Makes one double-crust pie
*I used this recipe for Perfect Pie Crust from Ina Garten
Adapted from Allrecipes
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| In search of the perfect apples for this pie, I went to a local farmer's market and found these Honeycrisp apples. They were seriously some of the BEST apples I have ever eaten. Definitely worth the trip! They were on the large side, so I used only 6 in the pie. |
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| I didn't want a soggy bottom pie, so I brushed the bottom crust with whisked egg white. If you want to know why this works, check this out from everythingpies.com. |
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| This is the first pie and it was full of those delicious Honeycrisp apples. |
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| I poured most of the sauce over the apples. I saved a little for the top crust.... |
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| I didn't do a lattice top crust. I cut a circle of dough out of the middle to let this vent as it cooked and then, poured the remaining sugar/butter liquid on top. Looking at the edges makes my cringe! I'll have to work on making better looking edges. :) |
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| You will definitely be happy that you put a foil lined baking sheet underneath this pie while it's in the oven. It drips and oozes and gets pretty messy as it bakes. |
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| For my second pie, I did NOT pour the sugar/butter liquid over the apples. I followed the original recipe and put the lattice top on first. Then, I very slowly poured the whole mixture over the top of the pie. BTW, If you want some tips on making a lattice top, check out these instructions from Simply Recipes. |
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| Wow! I had to be really careful while pouring this liquid stuff on top! Now it's ready for the oven. |
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| Here are our Birthday Apple pies!!! |
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| Happy Birthday! |
These pies came out terrific! The top crust turned out crispy and sweet---my husband really liked that part. The apples were just right---soft and tender, but not mushy. The bottom was not soggy. The filling was full of flavor and it wasn't runny at all. It actually had a perfect consistency. Most importantly, this special birthday apple pie was birthday boy approved!
Now, I'm going to enjoy this year. I've been warned enough times that next year he'll be driving, yikes! They really do grow up too fast!
Here's another recipe you might like:
It's even easier than making pie and it still has all the same delicious flavors!
I share recipes at these link parties.
This apple pie is delightful. It never occurred to me to ask for pie instead of my birthday cake….Why not, I prefer pie any day.
ReplyDeleteOur children grow up so fast. Happy Birthdya to your son.
Velva
Thank you Velva!
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