Dandy ‘Semi-Scratch’ Apple Pie

I absolutely love apple pie for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. But the stuff they sell most places is over priced and less than perfect to say the least against it.

I don't have the patience for making crust from scratch, but I can open a can and unroll refrigerated crusts with the best of 'em. I've got parchment paper, flour, rolling pin and a nifty machine that peels cores and slices the apples with twist of the wrist.

So, one day at Aldi I noticed their pie crusts were on sale for $1.25 and a three pound bag containing six green apples was on offer at three bucks. I grabbed a 20oz can of their Baker's Corner apple pie filling and went home to bake a cake (well, a pie, then).

• 1 Box 9” refrigerated (not frozen) Pie Crusts[1]
• 1 20 oz (Bakers Corner/Aldis[2]) Can Pie
• 6 (peeled/cored/sliced) Granny Smith Apples*
• ½ Cup raisins
• 1-2 Tsp Vanilla Flavoring
• 1 Tsp Apple Pie Spice (see chart)
• 1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Stick Butter
• Tsp Corn Starch (optional)
• Egg Wash:
• 1 Egg
• A bit of Cane Sugar
• Few drops of Vanilla Flavoring

[2] Aldi only carries the Bakers Corner (BEST) SEASONALLY. The Duncan Hines/Comstock “Country Apple they had in for a while at the end of 2020 was a poor substitute.

What is apple pie spice made of? Ingredients: 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon. 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg. 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice. My Baking Addiction https://www.mybakingaddiction.com › apple-pie-spice

• Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer (or a paring knife?)
• Paring knife
• Wisk/Stick Blender
• Pie plate baking dish; ovenproof glass (Deep, we've lots of apples)
• 3Qt Saucepan/pot
• Rolling pin
• Parchment paper
• Flour sifter
• Butcher paper
• Aluminum foil
• Pastry brush *****
• Measuring cup (container for mixing egg wash)
• Measuring spoons
• A crude crust protector ring cut out of aluminum foil** or an 'Adjustable Pie Crust Shield" from Amazon***
• Some sort of tray to place on the rack beneath the one holding the pie - drip catcher. ****

* I went with Granny Smith out of reflex. Since, I've tried to find alternatives as availability diminished and price went the other way. If anyone 'out there' has a tried and true alternative, please share here, hear?

** tear a square of foil and fold it in half, then fold that in half to form a smaller square. Mark half the diameter of your pie plate from the center corner to form a quarter circle. Cut along that line and unfold the result to find an aluminum crust protector ring.

*** They have Silicone pie crust shields on Amazon (eBay, etc.) for as little as $1.40 USD and as much as eighteen dollars. I got my pair of adjustable shields for eight dollars some month ago - they are ubiquitous, so shop and save!

**** If you cover this with fresh aluminum foil, you can salvage hot drippings that are quite as tasty as the pie itself for reasons science has yet to thoroughly document - take my word to the bank!

***** Silicone Barbecue Brush 99-cents @ Walmart

I like to clear the counters and assemble all the pots, parts, pieces and ingredients before peeling the first apple and almost certainly forget this thing, that thing, the drip catch pan that goes under the pie plate in the oven or the other thing.

I take the refrigerated pie crusts out of the icebox; out of their carton; out of their wax paper sleeves so they might come to room temp by the time I've finished cutting up the apples and have the pie plate ready for layer one.

A three quart pot set on relatively LOW HEAT and an oven set to 425 degrees will get there by the time you've gotten the filling between two crusts.

You will want a container of flour handy for dusting, a sifter, a circle of aluminum foil (or a factory edge protector), a couple squares of parchment paper larger than your pie crust, butter, basting brush, paper towels, the can of pie filling, six large Granny Smith Apples, favorite peeling and coring tools, container to collect cores and skin and such, hand towel, spatula for mixing.

I start the store bought filling with the apple pie spice in a 3Qt pot on low heat, I add the raisins, butter, vanilla and apple pie spice and sometimes a bit of brown sugar - though I think I prefer to let the raisins* provide all the sweetness.

This mixture warms as you peel, core and slice the six apples adding each as you finish processing it, then stirring to incorporate each new apple into the warming filling mixture. Lately, I've added a teaspoon of cornstarch to stiffen the mix

I use this nifty handy dandy device** that does a decent job of peeling, and an excellent job of slicing and coring an apple. It leaves bits of skin on the slices and I leave them there as well - let's call it rustic. The slicing results in a mostly skinless, spiral affair with a hole in the center where the core once was. I stand this up and cut it into four sections. This results in 'quarter round' slices about 1/8" thick with the first one I bought and 3/16" slices with the new model that uses a suction cup to fix itself to the counter top.

As I process each apple, I have an old coffee container that I toss the cores and ribbons of skin into for the composting and chicken feed while I eat pie.

I do NOT cook the mixture down. The way I do it, the last apple in barely gets 'cooked' at all. Well, a little, I suppose as the mixture's rather hot by the time number six arrives and gets stirred in. In this way, the resulting pie is definitely al dente and can easily be eaten al fresco!

* I don't know where the raisins come from, I'm sure I've seen someone do it before. Apparently not everyone does it with raisins. When I delivered a couple slices to a neighbor I got a call asking "What are the little brown bits?" Another recipient suggested I try dried cranberries. I did. Not bad. Went back to Aldi (low cost) raisins.

** I hesitate to provide a link to a product on Amazon because the price can change w/o notice and vendors are ephemeral creatures that may not exist by the time you decide to rush out an purchase the "Slicer Corer, Stainless Steel Blades Red Hand-cranking Machine Durable Heavy Duty Die Cast Magnesium Alloy Fruit Vegetable Cutter Peeler Summer Fun Gift $11.99 Prime FREE Delivery" I just found online - so better you search the net and find your best deal - just know that whether twelve or thirty dollars, they are all identical - I got mine at Ollies

Now that all the apples have split up and joined the filling in the pot, it is time to prepare the crust.

I like to coat the pie plate with butter and dust it with flour before I roll out the bottom crust. Somehow, I think it helps me get whole slices of pie onto a plate with all the bottom crust intact. I've also added a bit of sugar a couple of times - not very scientific (I don't have a test kitchen here, I just like apple pie).

By now, the crusts have come close to room temperature and can be unfurled and laid flat.

EGG WASH: Break an egg into a measuring cup, add vanilla, a bit of sugar and a teaspoon of water and mix thoroughly. You'll use this later.

Here's where the Parchment paper comes in handy - I think some Scotsman's old wife told me this trick. Placing the rolled up, room temp, pie crust on a dusted (sifted flour dust) sheet of parchment paper, carefully unrolling the dough and letting it flatten itself out while you dust the freshly exposed surface and cover the crust with a second sheet of parchment paper makes the stretching it out to fit your pie pan step rather easy.

Another trick seen on some baking show (Julia, Martha, ATK) is to draw a circle with a marker or dark pen on a third sheet of paper* (white 'butcher' paper in my case) the size of the pie crust needed to fit your pie plate. This sheet is laid down first and can be seen through the parchment paper. It serves as a guide and target as to circumference and circularity (is that a word?).

With the dough literally between the sheets, it is a simple matter to rotate the doughy disk about the compass as you roll from the center to circumference, then turn the disk of pre-pie crust a quarter turn or so and repeat repeatedly until you have created a perfect circle of dough large enough to cover the pie plate completely with a bit extra for luck. If it is a DEEP DISH, it may require a bit more.

When I think "By George, I've got it" ** I roll the crust onto the pin to carry it to the waiting baking dish and lay it carefully across the dish to settle in place - perhaps with a nudge here and there to be sure it covers and conforms closely to the walls and lip of the pie plate.

Now, Martha tells us to take a knife or scissors and trim away the excess that over runs the edge. Instead, I use the egg wash mixture to moisten the edge and fold the excess over itself forming a thicker bit of crust. After all, you paid for all of it - why not cook and eat all of it?

* My wife tells me there is no need for this third sheet, just draw the circle on the bottom of one of the parchment sheets. This does work nicely visually, but I like to flip my parchment sheets as I save them rolled up about the rolling pin (along with the butcher paper) and they all develop a curl between pies.

** "The majesty and grandeur of the English language. It's the greatest possession we have. The noblest thoughts that ever flowed through the hearts of men are contained in its extraordinary, imaginative, and musical mixtures of sounds. " Professor Higgins, Pygmalion Oh, what strange thoughts spring to the fertile mind while baking.

At this point I take the heated filling mixture off the heat and proceed to transfer the contents into what looks to be a much smaller container.

I literally Pile It On hoping the top crust will cover and all will hold together in the oven. I may lift the pie plate and 'drop it' a couple of times to settle things and use my spatula to tuck in a something here or there to keep some bits from sliding off the hill.

Egg wash 'round the edge of the crust - pastry glue! Then load the top crust onto the rolling pin and transfer it to the waiting pie. Drape it over the filling carefully for, once its 'down,' repositioning it won't be a cake walk.

Line up the edge of the top crust with the edge of the bottom crust all around the pie, pressing the two together as you go around. Then, press the edges together with the tines of a dinner fork, or pinch them together to make a fancier edge or screw fashion and presentation dictates and get this baby into the oven.

• Whooops, don't forget the egg wash the top crust. Sprinkle w/sugar?
• Don't forget - cut slits in the top - things can get steamy at 425F so provide an exit.
• OK, now the oven!

STOP!

If you do not cover the edge during baking you make wind up with a unique charcoal flavored crust.

I began using home made protective covers out of aluminum foil - they work and can be recycled.

Then I saw the grey things on Amazon and bought a pair actually cheaper to buy the pair than many of the individual offerings - essentially a BOGO.

These silicon rings are nice for full-size pies (what nine or ten inch diameter stuff) and re 'adjustable.' Not sure how well they might 'adjust' to a six-inch diameter pie, however.

I mount the thing before I put the pie into the oven for 45 minutes - and leave it there for all but the least ten minutes or so of baking. When the time is up, you can decide if the edge needs a bit more baking or take the pie to your cooling rack and put on a pot of coffee.

The most frustrating bit comes as you remove this lovely, tempting, tasteful delight ever so carefully from that over heated box from Whirlpool onto a wire rack (set over a sheet of foil to catch any ooozing that may yet occur as the baking continues even as she rests and cools off).

Some folks may claim they like hot stuff, but the best of them won't try to swallow a four hundred degree slice of apple pie and find themselves waiting for the morning with the rest of us.

All you need do is be the first one up!

This is a deep dive into apple pie - measurably so!

The filling is firm, the slices hold together well.

You can bite into this pie and appreciate the care that went into its creation.

It's not cheap to make. Last week that sack of apples was nearly five dollars, the can of filling adds about two more as do the refrigerated pie crusts - nine or ten bucks for ingredients easy.

Put your change into a jar, save up.

Wait for a sale.

It's worth it.

Best ten bucks you ever spent!

You'll thank me.

Better yet, vote for my pie in the pie day contest!