"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
> In article <1tRbg.947$FQ4.358@trndny06>,
> "Mordechai Housman" > wrote:
>
>> 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
>
> Is this your mom's recipe, Moerdechai? If so and you want to pretty
> much stick with it, I would eliminate the cornstarch. And probably
> most of the sugar (the canned apple pie *filling* is ready to pour
> into
> a shell and bake - it has the sugar and thickener already). If you
> are
> using *canned apples FOR pie filling*, well, that's a different bird
> and
> I think you need a better recipe. No offense intended. Following is
> a
> filling recipe; if you need a recipe for pie dough, I've got one of
> those, too. "-)
> Good luck.
>
>
>
> { Exported from MasterCook Mac }
>
> The Best Apple Pie
>
> Recipe By:
> Serving Size: 1
> Preparation Time: 0:00
> Categories: Desserts
>
> Amount Measure Ingredient Preparation Method
> 2 1/2 # Granny Smith apples peeled, quartered,
> cored, and cut into 3/8² slices (5-6
> cups)
> 3/4 cup sugar plus 2 teaspoons
> for sprinkling on dough top
> 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
> 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
> 1 Pinch salt
> Pie Dough for a double crust 8- or 9-inch
> pie
> 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter cut into small
> pieces
>
> Toss apples and next 4 ingredients in large bowl; let stand until
> apples
> soften and shrink a bit, no longer than 10 to 15 minutes. (this step
> is
> supposed to keep a gap from forming between the top crust and the
> apples. Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 400. (To
> keep the bottom crust crisp, author recommends using a glass pan and
> baking the pie near the bottom of the oven at a relatively hot
> temperature; this heats the bottom of the pie at a slightly faster
> rate
> than the rest, so it cooks through before the top burns. Roll larger
> dough disk on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle, about
> 1/8² thick. Transfer dough to 9-inch Pyrex pie pan, leaving dough
> that
> overhangs lip of pan in place. Turn apple mixture, including juices,
> into shell; scatter butter pieces over apples.
>
> Roll smaller dough disk on a lightly floured surface into a 10-inch
> circle. Lay it over top of pie. Trim top and bottom dough edges to
> 1/4
> inch beyond pan lip. Tuck this rim of dough underneath itself that
> that
> folder edge is flush with pan lip. Flute dough in your own fashion,
> or
> press with fork tines to seal. Cut 4 slits at right angles on dough
> top
> to allow steam to escape; sprinkle with remaining sugar.
>
> Set pie on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until light brown, about 30
> minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking
> until crust is a rich golden brown and apples can be easily pierced
> with
> a knife, about 30 minutes longer. If pie browns before it bakes
> through, cover top with foil and continue baking. Transfer pie to a
> wire rack; cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
>
> Pie is best when consumed within a few hours of baking, but can be
> stored at room temperature, covered by an inverted bowl, for a day or
> two.
>
> <<<<<
> Notes: Source: Page 8, Cook¹s Illustrated magazine,
> September/October
> 1994. Mercy! My pies were made with McIntosh/Wealthy/Sweet Sixteen
> apples in varying degrees of combination. Oh, my!


Thanks for the recipe! And yes, I could indeed use a recipe for the
crust. I might start doing that too, in a few months, when I feel more
confident about the filling.

I am not sure, but I suspect that if, when I was a kid, someone would
have brought my mother a can of apple pie filling to use in a pie, my
mother would probably have hit him with the can, and then given it away
to the poor. At any rate, she would probably have been insulted, or at
best incredulous.