"Jke" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Mordechai Housman" > schreef in bericht
> news:1tRbg.947$FQ4.358@trndny06...
>>I have been making simple apple pie, and I can't seem to get it the
>>way my mother used to make it.
>>
>> It always comes out to dry. My mother's apple pie used to have some
>> delicious liquid with it, and I can't figure out how to do it.
>>
>> My problem is with the filling. I use:
>>
>> Two or three fresh apples
>> Apple pie filling from a can
>> Sugar
>> Corn starch.
>>
>> What might I be doing wrong?
>>
>> Thanks for your help!
>>
>> Mordechai Housman
> I'd experiment with using less corn starch. I never use it in my apple
> pie, which is filled with fresh apples, sugar, cinnamon and sometims
> lemon zest or raisins.

I don't think my mother used corn starch either. Now that I think of it,
I can't see it's purpose, if I use sugar.

And come to think of THAT, I can't recall whether my other used sugar!

"Mordechai Housman" > wrote :
>
> And come to think of THAT, I can't recall whether my other used sugar!
>

She used sugar. Trust me on this.



Inviato da X-Privat.Org - Registrazione gratuita http://www.x-privat.org/join.php

"cybercat" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Mordechai Housman" > wrote :
>>
>> And come to think of THAT, I can't recall whether my other used
>> sugar!
>>
>
> She used sugar. Trust me on this.

I suddenly remembered my mother offering us kids pieces of raw apple
dipped into sugar, which she would swipe off her own pie before closing
it up.

"Mordechai Housman" > wrote in message
news:ClEdg.6$Oa3.4@trndny09...
> "cybercat" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Mordechai Housman" > wrote :
>>>
>>> And come to think of THAT, I can't recall whether my other used sugar!
>>>
>>
>> She used sugar. Trust me on this.
>
> I suddenly remembered my mother offering us kids pieces of raw apple
> dipped into sugar, which she would swipe off her own pie before closing it
> up.

That was a nice mom!
Dee Dee

On Sun, 21 May 2006 15:04:53 GMT, Mordechai Housman wrote:

> I don't think my mother used corn starch either. Now that I think of it,
> I can't see it's purpose, if I use sugar.

If your mother used anything, it was probably a tablespoon of all
purpose flour. The purpose is to thicken the juices so that when the
pie cools, you don't have juice flowing all over the place. Also,
your bottom crust has a *chance* not to be soggy.
--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 21 May 2006 15:04:53 GMT, Mordechai Housman wrote:
>
>> I don't think my mother used corn starch either. Now that I think of
>> it,
>> I can't see it's purpose, if I use sugar.
>
> If your mother used anything, it was probably a tablespoon of all
> purpose flour. The purpose is to thicken the juices so that when the
> pie cools, you don't have juice flowing all over the place. Also,
> your bottom crust has a *chance* not to be soggy.
> --
>
> Ham and eggs.
> A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

Oh, the bottom crust of her pie was soggy all right! Thick, and soggy
on the inside.

My mouth is watering, remembering it.

Mordechai Housman wrote:

>
> >>
> >> Mordechai Housman
> > I'd experiment with using less corn starch. I never use it in my apple
> > pie, which is filled with fresh apples, sugar, cinnamon and sometims
> > lemon zest or raisins.
>
> I don't think my mother used corn starch either. Now that I think of it,
> I can't see it's purpose, if I use sugar.
>
> And come to think of THAT, I can't recall whether my other used sugar!

Cornstarch works well as a thickener for the filling, but flour is more
common in apple pies. I only use cornstarch for peach pie. But if you are
using a canned filling and just a few apples you wouldn't need much
cornstarch or flour.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Mordechai Housman wrote:
>
>>
>> >>
>> >> Mordechai Housman
>> > I'd experiment with using less corn starch. I never use it in my
>> > apple
>> > pie, which is filled with fresh apples, sugar, cinnamon and
>> > sometims
>> > lemon zest or raisins.
>>
>> I don't think my mother used corn starch either. Now that I think of
>> it,
>> I can't see it's purpose, if I use sugar.
>>
>> And come to think of THAT, I can't recall whether my other used
>> sugar!
>
> Cornstarch works well as a thickener for the filling, but flour is
> more
> common in apple pies. I only use cornstarch for peach pie. But if you
> are
> using a canned filling and just a few apples you wouldn't need much
> cornstarch or flour.

I'm beginning to understand why that friend of ours used corn starch. It
was to have a sweet thing that absorbed the excess juice.

Well, I LIKE the juice, so I'm going to cut out the cornstarch entirely,
and just add some more sugar. My last pie was barely sweet at all,
despite the sugar and cornstarch.

Mordechai Housman wrote:

> I'm beginning to understand why that friend of ours used corn starch. It
> was to have a sweet thing that absorbed the excess juice.

Corn starch is not sweet. It is quite bland. It has the advantage of being
opaque so things like sour cherry or peaches have a more or colourful
filling. .

> Well, I LIKE the juice, so I'm going to cut out the cornstarch entirely,
> and just add some more sugar. My last pie was barely sweet at all,
> despite the sugar and cornstarch.

Too much juice will make the bottom crust soggy. If you are going to do that
maybe you should use a deep dish and have top crust only.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Mordechai Housman wrote:
>
>> I'm beginning to understand why that friend of ours used corn starch.
>> It
>> was to have a sweet thing that absorbed the excess juice.
>
> Corn starch is not sweet. It is quite bland. It has the advantage of
> being
> opaque so things like sour cherry or peaches have a more or colourful
> filling. .


Wow. I was so wrong about that. I thought that just as corn syrup is
sweet, so must corn starch be sweet. Well, you learn something new every
day.

Thanks!

This being the case, I'm going to stop using my corn starch.

Mordechai Housman wrote:

>
> >> was to have a sweet thing that absorbed the excess juice.
> >
> > Corn starch is not sweet. It is quite bland. It has the advantage of
> > being
> > opaque so things like sour cherry or peaches have a more or colourful
> > filling. .
>
> Wow. I was so wrong about that. I thought that just as corn syrup is
> sweet, so must corn starch be sweet. Well, you learn something new every
> day.
>

Cornstarch is a very handy thickener. It is great in some sauces, like for
Chinese dishes, because it not only thickens nicely, but it cooks very
quickly, unlike flour which needs to be cooked for a while or else it leaves
that uncooked flour taste. When added to a hot liquid it should be mixed
into a slurry with cold water first or else it will instantly harden into
lumps. It is a good thickener for cherry and peach pies, though I prefer
minute tapioca.

One thing to consider when making fruit pies is that you want something to
thicken the filling because plain fruit will get goopy. Fruit and sugar will
make a runny syrup. Flour, cornstarch or minute tapioca will help it set
into a firmer consistency. A few dabs of butter on top helps to give it a
nice finish and also reduces the boil over than will make a mess of the
bottom of your stove.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Mordechai Housman wrote:
>
>> Well, I LIKE the juice, so I'm going to cut out the cornstarch
>> entirely,
>> and just add some more sugar. My last pie was barely sweet at all,
>> despite the sugar and cornstarch.
>
> Too much juice will make the bottom crust soggy. If you are going to
> do that
> maybe you should use a deep dish and have top crust only.

So what's wrong with a soggy bottom crust???? If it's thick enough, the
bottom won't be too soggy.

Mordechai Housman wrote:

> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Mordechai Housman wrote:
> >
> >> Well, I LIKE the juice, so I'm going to cut out the cornstarch
> >> entirely,
> >> and just add some more sugar. My last pie was barely sweet at all,
> >> despite the sugar and cornstarch.
> >
> > Too much juice will make the bottom crust soggy. If you are going to
> > do that
> > maybe you should use a deep dish and have top crust only.
>
> So what's wrong with a soggy bottom crust???? If it's thick enough, the
> bottom won't be too soggy.

It won't be much of a crust. It will soak up all the moisture. Pies
fillings tend not to thicken without a thickener added with the fruit.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Mordechai Housman wrote:
>
>> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > Mordechai Housman wrote:
>> >
>> >> Well, I LIKE the juice, so I'm going to cut out the cornstarch
>> >> entirely,
>> >> and just add some more sugar. My last pie was barely sweet at all,
>> >> despite the sugar and cornstarch.
>> >
>> > Too much juice will make the bottom crust soggy. If you are going
>> > to
>> > do that
>> > maybe you should use a deep dish and have top crust only.
>>
>> So what's wrong with a soggy bottom crust???? If it's thick enough,
>> the
>> bottom won't be too soggy.
>
> It won't be much of a crust. It will soak up all the moisture. Pies
> fillings tend not to thicken without a thickener added with the fruit.

Well, I made my pie Friday, and it came out delicious. I used only
medium-large granny smith apples. I added a little bit of lemon juice. I
added copious amounts of sugar. I dabbed bits of margarine all over.

I glazed the upper (store-bought) crust with a mixture of melted
margarine and sugar.

I put the whole thing in the oven, but the little pan the store-bought
crusts came in was too small, and the juice leaked out and over the pie
and into the cookie pan that I hastily shoved in there because I forgot
to put it there in the first place.

Still, even without all the juice I like, it was a pretty good pie,. if
I may say so myself. But I think I can do better.

My next experiment will probably be the same, but with golden delicious
apples. And with a deeper pan.

Mordechai

>> I'd experiment with using less corn starch. I never use it in my apple
>> pie, which is filled with fresh apples, sugar, cinnamon and sometims
>> lemon zest or raisins.
>
> I don't think my mother used corn starch either. Now that I think of it, I
> can't see it's purpose, if I use sugar.
>
Sugar and corn starch serve differnt puposes: sweeteing vs thickening. I
don't find you need a thickener in apple pie filling, although I know people
who sprinkle some corn starch or flour on the (unbaked) pie shell before
putting the apples in. Just to absorb any excess moisture that will out of
the aplles. I find doing so unecessary, though.

> And come to think of THAT, I can't recall whether my other used sugar!

Sugar is used to taste. A small amount will usually do, a couple of
tablesppons are what I like. But it also depends on how sweet/sour the
apples used are.

"Jke" > wrote in message
...
>
>
>>> I'd experiment with using less corn starch. I never use it in my
>>> apple pie, which is filled with fresh apples, sugar, cinnamon and
>>> sometims lemon zest or raisins.
>>
>> I don't think my mother used corn starch either. Now that I think of
>> it, I can't see it's purpose, if I use sugar.
>>
> Sugar and corn starch serve differnt puposes: sweeteing vs thickening.
> I don't find you need a thickener in apple pie filling, although I
> know people who sprinkle some corn starch or flour on the (unbaked)
> pie shell before putting the apples in. Just to absorb any excess
> moisture that will out of the aplles. I find doing so unecessary,
> though.
>
>> And come to think of THAT, I can't recall whether my other used
>> sugar!
>
> Sugar is used to taste. A small amount will usually do, a couple of
> tablesppons are what I like. But it also depends on how sweet/sour the
> apples used are.

Since I have bought granny smith apples (which, as it happens, I like to
eat), I guess that sugar is a necessary addition, unless I want a tarter
pie. I'm actually not sure, but I like sweet, so this week I think I
will try for sweet. Another time I might try for tart.

When I go for a tart pie, should I eliminate the sugar entirely? Or is
that a bad idea?

"Mordechai Housman" > wrote in message
news:wpEdg.4$rv4.2@trndny04...
> When I go for a tart pie, should I eliminate the sugar entirely? Or is
> that a bad idea?

Why not experiment? If it is too tart then you only need to sprinkle sugar
on it when you want to eat it



Ophelia
Scotland

Ophelia wrote:
> "Mordechai Housman" > wrote in message
> news:wpEdg.4$rv4.2@trndny04...
>> When I go for a tart pie, should I eliminate the sugar entirely? Or is
>> that a bad idea?
>
> Why not experiment? If it is too tart then you only need to sprinkle sugar
> on it when you want to eat it
>



If it's too tart, you serve it with really sweet ice cream. :-)

Bob

"zxcvbob" > wrote in message
...
> Ophelia wrote:
>> "Mordechai Housman" > wrote in message
>> news:wpEdg.4$rv4.2@trndny04...
>>> When I go for a tart pie, should I eliminate the sugar entirely? Or
>>> is that a bad idea?
>>
>> Why not experiment? If it is too tart then you only need to sprinkle
>> sugar on it when you want to eat it
>
> If it's too tart, you serve it with really sweet ice cream. :-)

Well, since I'm making it in a meat oven, and I eat only kosher, I can't
eat any dairy products with it. But there are non-dairy whipped toppings
I can buy. Those would work well, I think.

Mordechai Housman wrote:

> > If it's too tart, you serve it with really sweet ice cream. :-)
>
> Well, since I'm making it in a meat oven, and I eat only kosher, I can't
> eat any dairy products with it. But there are non-dairy whipped toppings
> I can buy. Those would work well, I think.

That's why God created self cleaning ovens :-)

"Ophelia" > wrote in message
. uk...
>
> "Mordechai Housman" > wrote in message
> news:wpEdg.4$rv4.2@trndny04...
>> When I go for a tart pie, should I eliminate the sugar entirely? Or
>> is that a bad idea?
>
> Why not experiment? If it is too tart then you only need to sprinkle
> sugar on it when you want to eat it

True.

Mordechai Housman wrote:
> "Ophelia" > wrote in message
> . uk...
>>
>> "Mordechai Housman" > wrote in message
>> news:wpEdg.4$rv4.2@trndny04...
>>> When I go for a tart pie, should I eliminate the sugar entirely? Or
>>> is that a bad idea?
>>
>> Why not experiment? If it is too tart then you only need to sprinkle
>> sugar on it when you want to eat it
>
> True.
>
For goodness sake Mordechai, why don't you just get on with it? Stop
agonising, decide on a recipe and give it a go. You will have realised
by now that there are hundreds of variations on basic apple pie, and in
the end it's all a matter of personal taste. If you don't like cinnamon,
leave it out. If you like a soggy bottom, fine. If you don't have any
cornstarch in the house, don't buy some specially, use flour.

If you don't like what comes out of the oven, analyse the result - too
sweet, not sweet enough, too much liquid, not enough - and adjust your
next attempt. That's what all experienced cooks do. That's why there are
so many recipes for apple pie.

Cut to the chase, man.

Christine

On Fri 26 May 2006 07:08:39p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Old Mother
Ashby?

> Mordechai Housman wrote:
>> "Ophelia" > wrote in message
>> . uk...
>>>
>>> "Mordechai Housman" > wrote in message
>>> news:wpEdg.4$rv4.2@trndny04...
>>>> When I go for a tart pie, should I eliminate the sugar entirely? Or
>>>> is that a bad idea?
>>>
>>> Why not experiment? If it is too tart then you only need to sprinkle
>>> sugar on it when you want to eat it
>>
>> True.
>>
> For goodness sake Mordechai, why don't you just get on with it? Stop
> agonising, decide on a recipe and give it a go. You will have realised
> by now that there are hundreds of variations on basic apple pie, and in
> the end it's all a matter of personal taste. If you don't like cinnamon,
> leave it out. If you like a soggy bottom, fine. If you don't have any
> cornstarch in the house, don't buy some specially, use flour.
>
> If you don't like what comes out of the oven, analyse the result - too
> sweet, not sweet enough, too much liquid, not enough - and adjust your
> next attempt. That's what all experienced cooks do. That's why there are
> so many recipes for apple pie.
>
> Cut to the chase, man.
>
> Christine
>

AMEN!!!

I find it incredible how some people treat a recipe like they're seeking
the holy grail. For cripes sake, make 10 different ones. If you don't
like them, make 10 more. It's only food, not the Eucharist.
Experimentation and trial and error is often the way to finding one's
absolutely favorite thing.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

"Old Mother Ashby" > wrote in message
...
> Mordechai Housman wrote:
>> "Ophelia" > wrote in message
>> . uk...
>>>
>>> "Mordechai Housman" > wrote in message
>>> news:wpEdg.4$rv4.2@trndny04...
>>>> When I go for a tart pie, should I eliminate the sugar entirely? Or
>>>> is that a bad idea?
>>>
>>> Why not experiment? If it is too tart then you only need to
>>> sprinkle sugar on it when you want to eat it
>>
>> True.
>>
> For goodness sake Mordechai, why don't you just get on with it? Stop
> agonising, decide on a recipe and give it a go. You will have realised
> by now that there are hundreds of variations on basic apple pie, and
> in the end it's all a matter of personal taste. If you don't like
> cinnamon, leave it out. If you like a soggy bottom, fine. If you don't
> have any cornstarch in the house, don't buy some specially, use flour.
>
> If you don't like what comes out of the oven, analyse the result - too
> sweet, not sweet enough, too much liquid, not enough - and adjust your
> next attempt. That's what all experienced cooks do. That's why there
> are so many recipes for apple pie.
>
> Cut to the chase, man.

Good point. At any rate, I have already made the pie, and it was pretty
good. I posted about it in one of the threads of this subject.

Mordechai