I'm not sure anyone mentioned this already, but I find it always helps to 1) "blind bake" the bottom pie crust (cover the edge with foil if it begins to get too dark) and 2) as ChezHenry mentions, saute the apples first with your spices and a little lemon juice in a non-stick frying pan until they soften, shrink and give up some juice. I remove the apples with a slotted spoon to a bowl. If you have a lot of juice left, simmer it down over low heat in the frying pan until it's reduced by about half, then pour it over the apples and let them sit for a few minutes to re-absorb the reduced amount. So by sweating the apples first, then reducing the remaining liquid, the pie contains less liquid. And since the apples have already collapsed, you won't have a deflated top crust situation.
I find that this Cook's Illustrated pie crust recipe (the one using a dash of vodka) works well:
http://food52.com/recipes/24966-cook-s-illustrated-foolproof-pie-crust
And if you just haven't read enough yet, try doing a search on this site, using "pie" or "dough" in the "Articles" pull-down section. Many useful articles.
As several have mentioned, corn starch is likely a better thickener than flour in such a pie. And I love Pegeen's idea of a thin tart as opposed to a thicker pie. Arrowroot, though, is a more effective thickening agent than corn starch when an acid is present (apple pies/tarts typically call for lemon juice to prevent enzymatic browning), and it thickens at a lower temperature. Arrowroot is available in the bulk bins section of most natural foods stores. Generally speaking, once you can observe that your filling has begun to bubble, it is time to remove it from the oven. The trick is to be sure that you've adequately heated the filling and its thickener to prevent the sugar present in the filling from leaching water from the apples. A fine line, so to speak.
She might want to consider apple tart instead of pie, which has a thicker bottom crust and less juice (and of course no top crust). Or little custard cups with apple filling. Top some of the cups with pie crust "lids" and others with a sweet crumble topping. Tea cups that are oven safe, to go under the broiler to brown the tops, would be a novelty.
Thanks all....its made for the tearoom i work in, so eating it myself is outta the question ha The lady who makes it say's she mixed the apple with a little flour before filling the pie. So I thinking cornstarch is better?? Ive heard Tapioca starch is also good, but couldn't find it in shops. Does the type of apple help? She uses Bramley but if I make it at home i use whatever is in the fruit bowl.
I do find that cornstarch, in proper quantities, provides the bet gelling. However I prefer the texture of an apple pie thickened with flour. Apples natual pectin is the foundation for most commercial pectin. The quantity of butter and sugar is key, as opposed to thickening the juices, mitigate the issue with less sugar. My recipe cooks the apples on the stove first. Its my goto approach now.
The "smart-a**" in me says: apple pie never makes it to the second day in our house.
However, as mentioned above, if you recipe calls for a thickener like cornstarch, experiment with increasing the amount of thickener. If the recipe does not have a thickening agent in it, consider experimenting with some. Look at other pie recipes that do use thickeners as a guide.
8 Comments
I find that this Cook's Illustrated pie crust recipe (the one using a dash of vodka) works well:
http://food52.com/recipes/24966-cook-s-illustrated-foolproof-pie-crust
And if you just haven't read enough yet, try doing a search on this site, using "pie" or "dough" in the "Articles" pull-down section. Many useful articles.
I do find that cornstarch, in proper quantities, provides the bet gelling. However I prefer the texture of an apple pie thickened with flour. Apples natual pectin is the foundation for most commercial pectin. The quantity of butter and sugar is key, as opposed to thickening the juices, mitigate the issue with less sugar. My recipe cooks the apples on the stove first. Its my goto approach now.
However, as mentioned above, if you recipe calls for a thickener like cornstarch, experiment with increasing the amount of thickener. If the recipe does not have a thickening agent in it, consider experimenting with some. Look at other pie recipes that do use thickeners as a guide.