Apple Pie

Using the pie crust recipe and method that I posted about earlier, I now ventured into making my second apple pie, this time, using Cortland apples (not McIntosh, which were too sour for me). According to food journalist and cookbook author Mark Bittman, the best apples for baking are Cortland or Ida Redor Paula Red (Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003).



I used this recipe that my friend bingbing gave to me but eliminating the lemon juice, as I was apprehensive that the result might be too sour again.



Then upon friends at WK's suggestion of adding cardamom, and seeing a recipe at AllRecipes.com, I added 1/8 of allspice.



Then there was also the French apple pie that used a Streusel topping instead of a pie crust (I forgot where I got it. I just used the google search). I did that but still used a pie crust to top the Streusel topping.



It turned out to be the "Perfect Apple Pie" for my hubby, me, and my kids. (But I admit I still favor the Buko Pie in Laguna. Probably only because apple pie is not one that I grew up with.)



So here's the recipe (See Pie Crust post first and prepare crust-lined pie plate before preparing the filling):



Ingredients:



7-8 cups thinly sliced peeled baking apples

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt



Streusel topping (you may want to forget about the pie crust topping and have this instead)

1/3 c brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup cold butter



Eggwash (1 egg + 1 tbsp sugar, beaten)



Instructions:



Peel, core and slice the apples thinly. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cardamom; add to apples and toss.



Pour into crust; Prepare Streusel topping by mixing brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkling on top of the apples.



Dot with butter (I used the peeler. You may use grater for this purpose).



Put on top the second pie crust; cut slits on top. Brush eggwash over pastry.



Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees bake 40-45 mins. or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.



(TIP: Place enough sheets of wax paper to cover bottom of the oven to catch overflowing juices. This will spare you the trouble of cleaning afterwards.)



Cool on a wire rack.



Eat when comfortably warm.



(I actually liked it better when it was cooled down and has sat in the fridge overnight. Not only is the pie firmer to cut without gooey juices flowing to the sides, the apple slices have also imbibed the flavors of the spices more.



My first apple pie made with McIntosh was too sour. A friend in WK, sognaluna (an American wife to a Filipino) suggested I eat the pie with vanilla ice cream. I tried, and even ate it with additional maple syrup, but the sourness was still too much for me. And when I noticed it was only me eating the rest of the pie (after the initial tasting by the other family members), I threw the last two big slices (1/4 of the whole pie). That night my hubby asked where the apple pie was, because he noticed that I had in the fridge the Jello no-bake cheesecake that he loves, I told him I threw the apple pie because nobody wanted it anyway.



"I like it...It's just that I have not been feeling too well in the past days. It would keep for a month..." I just shrugged, thinking..."yeah, right..."



Well, this time with Cortland, we easily consumed the pie, even without ice cream or maple syrup. Though I am foreseeing bags of Golden Delicious and Red Delicious apples, they are so good that we can eat them as is. No need to bake. Cortland is actually good enough to eat raw. Pretty much tastes like the apples that were sold at 3 for P20 in the Philippine Markets (if you bought them fresh), but not as good as Fuji apples.