Perfect pies

Cooking Discussions Baking, Sweets
61

Ok, fess up, who is Kitchen Barbarian?

KB’s comment is pretty much how I make my apple pie, but I never added the liquid back to the pie, I discarded and added caramel. But I’m talking too much! I better stop talking and start baking.

One thing I do not do is parcook the apples, that was my problem before, the long cook time was ruining the flavor of the filling. And I add a lot of spices, unlike Kenji.

I guess I can try zapping them for 5 mins, that’s not really parcooking them, more like warming them up to coax out the juices.

So many choices!
I won’t be making apple pie anytime soon, but I’ll make my Chicken Pot Pie as soon as next week. Stayed tuned…

62

Look who stepped back into the old time machine:

I found the old Chowhound post for you. Ugh, that was 2017, do you know how much I posted from 2017 till now? I need to shut up! Blah, blah, blah…

Anyways, this describes the why/how of macerating my apples. Thank you Lisasimmarco, this was life changing. Another poster writes Stella Parks, baker extraordinaire, uses the same method. It would be worth checking out.

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63

@Kathy, I am not sure I follow your posts but I will read the links. When I make pies I have very few steps and none are fancy. Chicken pot pie is even more straight forward.

I have never entered a contest. Sounds like way too much pressure for a pie eating lover like me. But do they need a JUDGE, lol?

Good luck🥇

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64

The last time I parcooked thin-sliced apples for pie, they turned to applesauce and I had to go out for more apples to add in raw for texture. The end result was delicious though.

65

I use this for thickening my pies.

Cornabys E-Z Gel (New Name Same Product) - Instant, Gluten-Free, non-GMO Food Thickener, 16-Ounces

Pies are perfect with just that bit of “slump” when cut.
May be that serious pie bakers would look down on this product but it works for me and was rec by an old pie baker extroidinaire.

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We use something similar, diff brand (Ball), for jams and jellies but I dont believe ever in a fruit pie. Interesting.

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EZ Gel & ClearGel are names for a cornstarch thickening product. They work at higher temperatures where regular cornstarch would fail. The Amish & Mennonite bakeries use it a lot.

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Some apples fall apart when cooked, others hold their shape, it just depends on the variety.

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I was reading the comments to the Serious Eats link you posted. Someone called Kitchen Barbarian mentioned Chowhound.
Sorry for not making that clear, I reread the post myself and was confused. :slight_smile:

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Yep. I had the same problem, so frustrating. I think macerating works a lot better, especially for berries.

71

I’ve had E-Z gel on my Amazon’s wishlist forever, just never got around to buying it. Anything to cut down on gluten is a good thing to me.

72

What recipe/blend do you like for your gluten-free pie crust?

I’d found Steve’s Gluten Free Cake Flour via a poster on another board, was very nice in the few cakes I made with it but it’s rather expensive. I’ve heard the America’s Test Kitchen GF blend works well but I don’t subscribe - does anyone here subscribe and is willing to share the ratio?

73

I don’t do a gluten-free pie crust, I try to cut-down my gluten intake not because I have celiac but because I want to reduce my intake of processed flour.

I realize that I’m posting this in a pie thread. I didn’t say I eat the pies I make.

I don’t know if I can go gluten-free crust, but I like mixing almond flour with regular flour for my muffins. And I’ve read good things about Stella Parks gluten-free cake recipe, it could be worth looking up. I’ve had fantastic results with Stella Parks’ recipes.