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annasuave · 01-18-2014, 01:08 PM

I like cooking when I get to geek-out in the kitchen. Recipes where I get to say "See? The vinegar cooks the shrimp!" or "The sugar is hydroscopic!" are my favourites.

So I give you Apple Pie. The sugar is hydroscopic!

2 Frozen Pie Shells (life is too short to mess around with pastry)
6 large apples (give or take)
1/2 cup sugar (divided into two batches of 1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons Tapioca Starch (or Corn Starch) or if you’re desperate - Flour
Lime juice (just a dash, from either a bottle or a lime)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Peel and core the apples.
Slice into 1/2-inch thick wedges.
Toss all of the apples with 1/4 cup of the sugar
Place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain for 1 hour. (Save the liquid, if you want)

## The sugar is hydroscopic. It will pull a lot of liquid out the apples while it sits. This will give your pie a concentrated apple flavour, and avoid disappointing runniness or mushiness. ##

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the apples with the remaining sugar, tapioca flour, lime juice, salt and cinnamon.

## It doesn’t really matter what kind of starch you use, but tapioca starch or cornstarch are better than flour. They dissolve faster, set up glossier, and are less likely to clump. ##

Dump the apple/starch mixture into one pie shell. Shake the pie plate to settle the mix. Dump it all in and don’t be shy about mounding it up high in the middle.

Roll out and cut the second pie shell into about 8 strips of pastry. Use these to create a “weave” on top of the apples. OR just put the second pie shell on top and crimp the edges.

Did you keep the liquid that drained off the apples? If you did, brush it on top of the pastry. If you drank it, or dumped it – its ok. Your pie will be fine without it.

PUT THE PIE ON A COOKIE SHEET BEFORE BAKING. Deliciousness WILL ooze out of the pie. It makes a big sticky mess without a cookie sheet underneath

Bake at 425 for about 50 minutes – or until pastry is golden-brown.
Remove pie from oven.

Don't open the oven while its cooking. If your oven temperature drops and the heating coils have to keep coming back on, this will result in the bottom of your pie being overcooked.

ALLOW PIE TO COOL AT LEAST 1 HOUR. 1.5 Hours is better. As the pie cools, the starch in the apple-mixture sets up and forms a sort of apple-starch colloid. Cutting into a hot pie too soon will result in a runny pile of (delicious) mush. Waiting until the pie cools to just barely warm gives you the density needed for pie glory.

01-18-2014, 01:08 PM	#25
annasuave Scoring Winger Join Date: Jul 2007 Exp:	I like cooking when I get to geek-out in the kitchen. Recipes where I get to say "See? The vinegar cooks the shrimp!" or "The sugar is hydroscopic!" are my favourites. So I give you Apple Pie. The sugar is hydroscopic! 2 Frozen Pie Shells (life is too short to mess around with pastry) 6 large apples (give or take) 1/2 cup sugar (divided into two batches of 1/4 cup) 3 tablespoons Tapioca Starch (or Corn Starch) or if you’re desperate - Flour Lime juice (just a dash, from either a bottle or a lime) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon Peel and core the apples. Slice into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss all of the apples with 1/4 cup of the sugar Place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain for 1 hour. (Save the liquid, if you want) ## The sugar is hydroscopic. It will pull a lot of liquid out the apples while it sits. This will give your pie a concentrated apple flavour, and avoid disappointing runniness or mushiness. ## Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the apples with the remaining sugar, tapioca flour, lime juice, salt and cinnamon. ## It doesn’t really matter what kind of starch you use, but tapioca starch or cornstarch are better than flour. They dissolve faster, set up glossier, and are less likely to clump. ## Dump the apple/starch mixture into one pie shell. Shake the pie plate to settle the mix. Dump it all in and don’t be shy about mounding it up high in the middle. Roll out and cut the second pie shell into about 8 strips of pastry. Use these to create a “weave” on top of the apples. OR just put the second pie shell on top and crimp the edges. Did you keep the liquid that drained off the apples? If you did, brush it on top of the pastry. If you drank it, or dumped it – its ok. Your pie will be fine without it. PUT THE PIE ON A COOKIE SHEET BEFORE BAKING. Deliciousness WILL ooze out of the pie. It makes a big sticky mess without a cookie sheet underneath Bake at 425 for about 50 minutes – or until pastry is golden-brown. Remove pie from oven. Don't open the oven while its cooking. If your oven temperature drops and the heating coils have to keep coming back on, this will result in the bottom of your pie being overcooked. ALLOW PIE TO COOL AT LEAST 1 HOUR. 1.5 Hours is better. As the pie cools, the starch in the apple-mixture sets up and forms a sort of apple-starch colloid. Cutting into a hot pie too soon will result in a runny pile of (delicious) mush. Waiting until the pie cools to just barely warm gives you the density needed for pie glory.