Favorite Pie apples?

[Homercidal]

I've used various apples for making pie, and some worked better than others, but I've never kept track. Anyone remember what pies worked best for flavor and texture in their apple pies?

 

[Melana]

I like cortland empire and Macintosh.

 

[Homercidal]

Really? I thought Macintosh were not good pie apples. I'll be honest and admit I've never tried them because I always assumed that. I know I can't stand them for eating, but I don't care to eat most apples raw.

And I've never heard of Cortland Empire.

 

[NTXBrauer]

Granny Smith is the go to apple for all the apple pies my wife makes. IMO the tart apples taste best after being cooked in pies or cobblers. Also, the crust is actually the key for a good apple pie.

 

[Melana]

Cortland and Empire. not Cortland Empire.
MacIntosh I use for their affinity to break down when cooked... adding to the overall texture of the pie. For pie I like a mixture of textures... i do not like all crunchy or all mushy apples in my apple pie. Yes, I'll admit i like my food the way i like my food.

 

[Melana]

Granny Smith is the go to apple for all the apple pies my wife makes. IMO the tart apples taste best after being cooked in pies or cobblers. Also, the crust is actually the key for a good apple pie.

I like some granny smith in my apple pie but no more than 50%. Agreed that the tartness of the apple is appealing but I love a mixture of textures.

Crust is just one of the components of a killer pie. you can't have a good pie with substandard filling or crust. It HAS to be perfect. When it comes to cooking I'm a perfectionist.

 

[NTXBrauer]

Crust is just one of the components of a killer pie. you can't have a good pie with substandard filling or crust. It HAS to be perfect. When it comes to cooking I'm a perfectionist.

I am fortunate that the wife has one of those great grandmother crust recipes made with lard, that has just the perfect flakiness to it.... Now you have me craving some apple pie and homemade ice cream for breakfast.

 

[Melana]

I like your wife! Few and far between actually make their own crust these days.

Apple pie qualifies as breakfast food. Right?

 

[NTXBrauer]

Apple pie qualifies as breakfast food. Right?

It does in my book.

 

[unionrdr]

Red & green delicious with Royal Gala's.

 

[Homercidal]

I've been using Granny Smith and Gala and a few others. I like a mixture of different textures in my pies too. The one reason I've been told not to use Macintosh is because they are so soft in a pie. I might try them anyway and see what happens. I've been making pies for years, homemade crust and all, but I've recently had an interest to pick one or two apples and perfect the recipe so that it's consistent.

I haven't used lard yet, but I've used shortening and a combination of shortening and butter. I might try lard tonight. It's supposed to be a "test" pie in advance of the Tday get together and the Band Booster fundraiser sale anyway.

 

[Melana]

Your family will thank you for your pie experiments.
Try whole wheat pastry flour for the crust. the flavor is nutty and it develops less gluten.

 

[Melana]

Oh, BTW... thanks. now i have to go make a pie.

 

[Homercidal]

Your family will thank you for your pie experiments.
Try whole wheat pastry flour for the crust. the flavor is nutty and it develops less gluten.

Ha! I'm sure they will. I've already been thanked by the wife and I haven't even made a pie yet!

I might give that flour a try. I actually prefer my pie crust to be soft and doughy, rather than flaky, but I've always tried to make a flaky crust like most people like.

And for apple, most people I know prefer the crumb top variety, so I make that most often. Though when I do bother with a covering crust, I like to weave a lattice top (usually cherry or blueberry), or at least cut a decoration in the top (usually apple).

I've been thinking about trying one with a splash of bourbon, just enough to subtly change the flavor, but not enough to make someone immediately recognize what the difference is. Kind of like a rum cake effect, but not as strong.

 

[terrapinj]

haven't tried in pie form yet but was a big fan of granny smith and honeycrisp in the last cobbler i made - will likely make apple pie for thanksgiving this year and try that combo

 

[Adeering]

I do a combination of apples for their different flavors and texture. My go to mix is:
1. Granny Smith - very crisp and good tartness
2. Honeycrisp - delicious flavor but still crisp texture, not as much as granny
3. Braeburn - milder flavor but good sturdy texture
4. Pink Lady or Gala - Great sweet flavor with a sturdy texture

I tend to stay away from any of the mushy apples for my pies, like my apples to hold their structure. Ive found this combo of apples gives a great balance of strong tartness and sweetness with a great texture

As for bourbon, it would be great and compliment the flavors great. Instead of just putting it in the pie mixture, I have used it in the crust (tip I picked up from Good Eats). The alcohol doesnt produce gluten as much and gives a delicious flavor. I do tend to use bourbon or whiskey because I have it on hand, but try using Apple jack, its an apple brandy that adds that nice flavor with a touch of apple flavor

 

[Homercidal]

I used Granny Smith and Jonathan. Not sure why or how I bought Jonathan, but because it was an experimentation I just went ahead and used them. They were very mushy. Half of them had huge bruises when I peeled them and were soft before I baked them. The pie still turned out pretty good anyway, but I won't be using them again I think.

I have 4 pies to make Tuesday, 2 Apple for a Band Booster fundraiser on Friday, and an apple and a pumpkin for Tday at the MIL's house. I think the experiment shall continue. The filling turned out pretty good, so I'm basically down to picking apples and adjusting slightly for their flavor.

 

[bierhaus15]

Hands down, the best apple for pie is Northern Spy. After all, it is called the "Northern Pie Apple." It also makes some of the best cider too. Probably going to be hard to find if you live outside of NY and New England, tho.

 

[Melana]

I do a combination of apples for their different flavors and texture. My go to mix is:
1. Granny Smith - very crisp and good tartness
2. Honeycrisp - delicious flavor but still crisp texture, not as much as granny
3. Braeburn - milder flavor but good sturdy texture
4. Pink Lady or Gala - Great sweet flavor with a sturdy texture

I tend to stay away from any of the mushy apples for my pies, like my apples to hold their structure. Ive found this combo of apples gives a great balance of strong tartness and sweetness with a great texture

As for bourbon, it would be great and compliment the flavors great. Instead of just putting it in the pie mixture, I have used it in the crust (tip I picked up from Good Eats). The alcohol doesnt produce gluten as much and gives a delicious flavor. I do tend to use bourbon or whiskey because I have it on hand, but try using Apple jack, its an apple brandy that adds that nice flavor with a touch of apple flavor

I don't care for a lot of mushy texture however I like a little bit of the 'mush' to make almost a sauce around the crisper apple pieces. I tend to pile my pies at least a few inches up and over the top of the plate to account for apple shrinkage.

Yes, I use alcohol in my crust as well along with butter/shortening (whatever ratio i have on hand). The alcohol leaves a little flavor behind.

 

[Adeering]

I tend to pile my pies at least a few inches up and over the top of the plate to account for apple shrinkage.

A tip for the shrinkage of apples (especially if you are doing a pie crust top vs a crumble or lattice) is to sprinkle the sliced apples with sugar and let sit for awhile, the sugar will draw out juices (which can be used in the pie filling or boiled down to a glaze to wipe the top crust down with). This pre-collapses the apples mostly so the shrinkage wont happen in the oven and leave that pocket of air between the filling and top crust.

 

[Melana]

A tip for the shrinkage of apples (especially if you are doing a pie crust top vs a crumble or lattice) is to sprinkle the sliced apples with sugar and let sit for awhile, the sugar will draw out juices (which can be used in the pie filling or boiled down to a glaze to wipe the top crust down with). This pre-collapses the apples mostly so the shrinkage wont happen in the oven and leave that pocket of air between the filling and top crust.

I do this and still have some shrinkage (mostly from the mushy apples i add)

 

[Homercidal]

I do this and still have some shrinkage (mostly from the mushy apples i add)

Same here. I don't worry too much about it. I just try and slice enough apples to mound up in the pan and let it settle so it looks ok.

 

[VaBrewer]

I like to use a combination of Gala and Fuji. I will use Honeycrisp if they aren't too pricey, but for some reason they generally are. Jonathan are pretty good too.