Howard's Amazing Vanishing Apple Pie

[Owly055]

I decided to do an apple pie the other day, with the objective being a rich saucy full flavored pie with a kick to it.

I used half a dozen peeled granny smith apples. I also used the Krustez pie crust mix, which I've found makes an excellent flaky crust that's better than I usually get with a scratch crust as long as you use good procedure and very cold water.

The unique thing about this pie was that I made a thick sauce using the basic white sauce technique, but substituting half a can of frozen concentrate apple juice at full concentrated strength in lieu of the milk used in a white sauce, along with a couple tablespoons of lemon juice. A cup of sugar was added also, Flour was mixed with veg oil into a thick paste for a thickener, and added to the sauce as it cooked, to thicken it up to the point where it would not be runny, but not gel. The sauce was spiced with a generous helping of cinnamon, along with about half a teaspoon of Cayenne and a bit of turmeric to give it a spicy kick. The apples were added to the sauce toward the end, and it was cooked down until it would cling well to the apple slices.

The apples in their sauce were added to the pie crust, still hot, the top crust put on and crimped, and a few cuts made for venting, then it was popped into the oven and cooked until golden brown.

The result was an apple pie to die for. Rich and full flavored with a delightful spicy hot character somewhat like adding red hots to apple sauce. The sauce was so delicious that my "taste testers" were wiping every last bit off the plate and slurping it up.

Amazingly, it vanished right before my eyes..........One moment it was there, the next there was an empty pie tin......... hence the name.

I'm 60 this year, and have been baking delicious things since I was a child, including countless apple and other pies over the years, but this was hands down the best pie I've ever put together. I never cook from recipes, and this is not intended to be a recipe, just an approximation, as I use the shake and dump methods. The only accurate figures are the 6 small Granny Smith apples, the half can of frozen concentrate, and the one cup of sugar. The thickener is made by eye from experience, and the spices use the TLAR method of measuring (that looks about right).


H.W.

 

[Owly055]

To be a bit more specific, here is the actual recipe as measured from making one pie using a foil pie plate:

3T vegetable oil
1/4 C flour

mix together in a medium sauce pan to make a paste

Add:

1/2 can frozen concentrate apple juice
1 C Sugar
2 T Cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (to taste as cayenne varies in hotness)

Note: I actually use a mixture of Cayenne and Turmeric which I use for many things, and I don't have the actual proportions.

Cook down until a very sticky thick and stringy sauce results

Add 6 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced, and 1/2 cup of crazins to the still hot syrup, and bring back to a boil briefly.

Add filling to prepared pie shell. I use Krustez pie crust mix usually, as it is easier to make a good flaky crust than doing it from scratch, and the pre mixed and rolled crusts are really low quality with none of that wonderful flaky character of a good home made crust. Betty Crocker and Jif are both excellent mixes as well.

This is made in a relatively small pie plate, and the apples used are pretty small. The sauce is more than needed for a small pie, so there will be left over sauce.


I've taken these to a few friends, and everybody has been very enthusiastic about this recipe. The spice of the cayenne, and the rich syrupy sweetness of the sauce makes it irresistible. If you don't keep the fridge under lock and key, it will quickly vanish, and you will find only an empty pie tin...........

I got a phone call last evening around 9:30 from a friend I'd given one to. He was wildly enthusiastic, he, his wife, and two children absolutely loved it, and he waxed poetic that it was the best pie he'd ever tasted, and unlike anything he'd tasted before. The spice was just right, etc.....

H.W.